15 Perfect Recycled Materials for All Architecture Projects

Using recycled materials is on the rise since we realized the negative impact of construction on the environment—buildings actually cause 40 percent of the total carbon emissions. Recycled materials setback this percentage because they demand less raw resources hence less manufacturing energy. Moreover, they decrease the amount of construction waste (a whole another issue!).

You sure have heard of the conventional use of recycled materials—however, architects and designers would never miss an opportunity to be creative and innovative. Arch2O has previously covered some innovative ways of using recycled and reused materials in interior spaces, and in this article you can enjoy these buildings using recycled materials in a way you did not see before; a sneak peek: they include using plastic chairs in elevations and bedsprings in a pavilion!

15 Perfect Recycled Materials for All Architecture Projects

• Recycled Concrete

• Recycled Concrete Pipes in Prahran Hotel by Techne Architecture + Interior Design

“This pup in Australia is defined by the recycled concrete pipes on the facade. The concrete pipes here are not just decorative features, some of them are in fact cabins with benches and tables for people to dine. These “cabins” produce an interesting contrast between their closed character inside the concrete pipes (lined on the inside by wood), and, on the other hand, the fact that they are open on the sides, offering the people who are dining a view and a very particular relation with the outside street.”

• Recycled Concrete from Demolished buildings in Living at the Old Indoor Pool by UTA Architekten und Stadtplaner

“The building structure represents a demand for various typologies of housing made of recycled materials. The structure is made of recycled concrete. The raw materials come from the local demolition and recycling company. The demolition of the old indoor swimming pool was reused in the construction of the new building.”

• Recycled Metal

• Recycled Aluminum in Hard Rock Cafe Facade by Architectkidd

“Throughout the restaurant, the cafe pays tribute to artists from its musical memorabilia to the commissioned graffiti on the second floor. The performance stage features a larger area for the band performers and a custom-fabricated backdrop by product designer Anon Pairot. As one of the highlights of the interior, this stage wall is made from recycled aluminum re-cast into solid modules.”

• Recycled Bedsprings in Luxury Pavilion by Fahed + Architects

“A commitment to the environment is at the core of Fahed + Architects philosophy, so it was necessary to create a structure out of 100% recyclable material from the local waste management company, Bee’ah. The outer skin of the pavilion is a mesh of entwined bedsprings that naturally lends itself to an organic form, floating amongst the surrounding buildings.”

• Recycled Metal Sacks in The Fifth Space Installation by SZCZ Jakub Szczesny + Hadas Tuval

“The metal cables Szczęsny extended across the rooftop are the Warp to Tuval’s Weft, weaved from sacks previously used in a temporary installation on Bialik Square by Raumlabor (originally used for cushioning the merchandise inside shipping containers) that have been recycled, dismantled, and placed in a new array.”

• Recycled Shipping Containers in Café Kontejner by Collarch

“In the heart of Prague 7 – Holešovice, a temporary building from recycled shipping containers grew on Orten Square. With its rough industrial aesthetics, it refers to the industrial history of Holešovice. Its content follows the current changes in this city district: The rough, black shell hides a pleasant city café which opens up to its surroundings with large-scale glazing in the facade of the aged and used containers.”

• Recycled Plastic

• Recycled Plastic Seats in Gallery of Furniture by CHYBIK+KRISTOF

“The single-story building of a poor aesthetic quality turned into a building with a new, easily remembered façade composed of more than 900 black plastic seats as a recycled material. The façade is conceived abstractly, functioning also as a banner advert for the firm itself. After finishing a simple refurbishment of its interior, a new flexible showroom was created presenting the individual segments of the firm´s production in specific, thematically arranged settings.”

• Recycled Ice Cream Containers in Bima Microlibrary by SHAU Bandung

“While studying design options of how to arrange 2000 ice cream buckets, we realized that they could be interpreted as zeros (opened) and ones (closed), thus giving us the possibility to embed a message in the façade in the form of a binary code. […] Not only does the facade give additional meaning to the building but using the buckets as a recycled material also generate a pleasant indoor light ambiance since they scatter direct sunlight and act as natural light bulbs.”

• Recycled Semi-Transparent Plastic Baskets in Naju Art Museum by Hyunje Joo

“A flexible architectural element rather than a fixed element, this wall consists of 1,500 structural semi-transparent baskets used as a recycled material. The surface minimizes the separation between the inside and outside, as light and silhouettes beyond the space show through. Over the course of the day, changes show on the surface of the wall due to the diffusion and reflection of the material. The passage of time is more actively sensed from both inside and outside, as these light effects stimulate our senses. When the building is demolished in 2 years, the baskets can be reused.”

• Recycled Plastic Bottles in PET pavilion by Project.DWG + LOOS.FM

“Rather than aiming to be a “sustainable” solution, the PET pavilion concentrates on exploring new possibilities and repurposing recycled materials. Using the elevated framework of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, the structure consists of two monumental slabs in a steel framework. From floor to ceiling, double-walled transparent corrugated sheets hold over 40,000 plastic bottles, with bottle caps attached to bottlenecks supporting the system.”

• Recycled Plastic Bottles in Head in the Clouds Pavilion by STUDIOKCA

“Made of 53,780 recycled bottles – the amount thrown away in New York City in only 1 hour – Head in the Clouds is a space where visitors can enter into and contemplate the light and color filtering through the bottles from the inside, out. The form is made out of a series of ‘structural pillows” made from 1 gallon jugs for the exterior, while 16 and 24 ounce water bottles filled with varying amounts of organic blue food coloring line the interior.”

• Recycled Wood

• Recycled Shutters in Vegan House by Block Architects

“The architect used shutters as recycled materials in the building to give the house’s outer facade a distinctive appearance. These types of shutters have been commonplace in Vietnam for decades thanks to the ventilation they provide. They are arranged on the facade in such a way to provide pops of color while simultaneously blending in with the antique elements of the surrounding area.”

• Recycled Doors in The Circular Pavilion by Encore Heureux Architects

“A singular building, the Circular Pavilion has nothing round. The name describes the process, which follows the circular economy principles, according to which ones’ waste becomes others’ resources. Wastes taken from construction sites, erroneous orders, or unused stocks: each of the recycled materials implemented has its own story. 180 wooden doors, deposited during a housing rehabilitation operation in Paris’ 19th district, form the facade. Inside, the isolation uses mineral wool removed from a supermarket roof.”

• Recycled Windows in Kamikatz Public House by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

“To make the pub a local symbol when looking up from the town, the windows comprising fittings from abandoned houses were set eight meters high. We gathered windows that illuminated the town in the past and dedicated our wish that using them as a recycled material would serve as a lantern of hope to shine upon the town struggling with a declining population.”

• Recycled Pallets in Recycled Palette Pavilion by Avatar Architettura

“With a wealth of knowledge in creating beautiful designs out of recycled materials, Avatar Architettura does it again with their Recycled Pallet Pavilion. Located in the garden of Villa Romana, the German Institute of Culture in Florence, Italy, this 100 square meter pavilion is versatile enough to host a multitude of exhibits from vernissages to live performances. Structurally, as you can see, the wooden pallets are recast into a diamond-shaped, joined together by custom-made joints, and wrapped and toped by transparent and opaque PVC membrane.”