BRIGHTON WASTE HOUSE

The UK's first permanent structure built almost entirely from waste

BBM Architects in collaboration with the University of Brighton have completed the Brighton Waste House. Located on the campus of the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts at Grande Parade, the Brighton Waste House is a permanent building whose construction consisted of approximately 90% waste materials. As well as being an ongoing research project, the structure will also serve as a design workshop focused on sustainable development.

Under the supervision of BBM’s director and the senior lecturer Duncan Baker-Brown, a team of 253 students and apprentices spent three months designing and 12 months building the house. With the exception of the windows, wiring and plumbing, almost all of the materials were recuperated. Wood for the structure was recovered from a nearby demolition site, while 2,000 used carpet tiles became the home’s facade. Damaged plywood was used for columns and flooring, and 500 bike inner tubes were installed as window seals and for soundproofing.

Since modern insulation is frequently made from plastic, a variety of different materials were used to insulate the home. Some 20,000 toothbrushes were donated by visitors and recovered from airlines, 2 tons of denim jeans, 4,000 DVD cases, 4,000 VHS video cassettes and 2,000 floppy discs were turned into a replacement for plastic insulation. Hundreds of billboard and advertisement banners were used as an airtight membrane for the insulating materials. Sensors in the walls will monitor the effectiveness of the different materials over time. Small windows were cut into the walls, so the insulation is visible to visitors.

Finally, to add to the building’s energy efficiency, 11 tons of chalk waste was diverted from the landfill and used to create a rammed earth wall that is 35 cm thick.

The progress, evolution and results of the building will be monitored over time to determine which materials perform most efficiently. However, it is an exciting and creative project that lays the groundwork for ecological architecture that entirely recycles and reuses rather than creates and consumes. Get more even more information on the materials used in the project by watching the preview video.