superuse![]() superuse Superuse is an online community of designers, architects and everybody else who is interested in inventive ways of recycling. Articles
PET-bottle Temple
2008-04-16 09:59:00 At Heijplaat, an old citypart of Rotterdam, during the folly festival Follydock 2007, Salzig design team created the Temple of Trash. The divined construction consisted of 100 bales of pressed PET-bottles. The sacred place, had a base of 25 by 10 m measured 7m high. The visitor could make his own experience in, at, near, in between, by this temple. In the temple garden blossomed 47000 sun-flowers. Roads where framed with 1500 flowers. The diverse impressionistic touches would form a sacred place for the biggest recycling machines of Europe. Freely quoted: http://salzigdesign.com » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Bottle
Planemotel
2008-04-14 17:32:00 In New Zealand, one of the last allied planes out of the Vietnam war, a 1950's Bristol Freighter, has been refurbished into 2 self-contained motel units. One suite is in the cockpit, the other in the tail. The plane is part of a complex with a converted rail car and boat. Planemotel Bristol Freighter (1946-1958) Woodlynpark, New Zealand http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/accommodatio n.html Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/01/r ecycled_hotels.php » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Aquarius Catedral
2008-04-14 11:01:00 close to madrid in Mejorada del Campo one can visit a man built cathedral made out of urban remains. Youtube shows a documentary on the maker of the aquarius cathedral; Don Justo Allegro via 'damn' » <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOyg wz8ri20&feature=related'>original news</a> More About: Aquarius
www.thuisvlucht.nl
2008-04-11 16:01:00 I became attached to an old chair I once found on the street, which I took home to use. It has served me well for a long time. Now, the chair has broken down, but it still represents an emotional value to me, accumulated over the years. So I divided it up into 1727 buttons, each of them tagged with a number, a thread and a label, indicating their original location in the chair. In each button the connection with my home lives on. They can be bought trough the internet, www.thuisvlucht.nl, and their distribution indicates my home spreading out over the world. » <a href='http://thuisvlucht.nl'>original news</a>
Victory Kebab Lamp
2008-04-11 09:23:00 A carefully collage of trash, pilled on top of each other and crowned by a light. Harry Richardson and Clare Page, who form Committee, made a small series of Kebab lamps: A colourful assortment of pottery animals, vases, figurines, boxes and other bric-a-brac. Objects come from the streets, flee markets and junk stalls. 'Looking at these objects, it isn't clear if they are beautiful and noble on their way up to the heavenly rubbish dump in the sky, or a chintzy portrayal of consumption.' Richardson and Page formed Committee in 2001 and work as designers applying 'pragmatism and imagination' to explore 'the drama of the everyday'. 'The drama of the everyday is an important theme for us, and the Kebab Lamp explores the possibility of making a spectacle of attractive qualities out of the random and ordinary. Each one is hopefully a celebration of the very human instinct to aspire to the absolutes of beauty, elegance and sexiness from the jumble of everyday existence.' Co... More About: Victory
can the can house
2008-04-11 09:23:00 Some years ago architect Richard Van Os Keuls of Silver Spring, Maryland started using discarded aluminium drink cans as siding for a house extension. (I also know a guy who had planned on using old vinyl LP records as roof shingles.) Richard washes his cans so ants want find the normally sweet and sticky innards too attractive. Then he stomps them flat, before pounding them with a sledgehammer to round the corners. Aluminium nails secure them in a shingle-like formation, to a plywood/insulation board wall, that is now resplendent with a fishscale look. He expects their various colours to fade over time, but doesn't plan on painting over the surface, because he now likes the way light plays on their many surfaces. Additionally he notes that they aren't noisy during rain, and have yet to develop the common chalky oxidation, which aluminium exposed to the elements can develop. Perversely when he first set out to collect extra cans from his local neighbourhood dump, this enterprising... More About: House
The Air Bear
2008-04-10 20:14:00 On the streets of New York, Joshua Allen Harris creates inflatable animals by tying plastic shopping bags to the subway grates: Air Bear : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0dF5aTn7W M&feature=related Air Zoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0U3VNYg_ w&feature=related Joshua Allen Harris (ca. 1977) Air Bear (2008), Air Zoo (2008) Plastic shopping bags New York, USA Air Bear video made by Joshua Allen Harris http://www.youtube.com/user/harrisdanger, Air Zoo video made by Marc Schil http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcSchil » <a href='1'>original news</a>
recycled parachute silk!
2008-04-10 15:21:00 clothing made out of war remains... » <a href='http://www.emaharishi.com/?keyword= recycl&action=search'>original news</a> More About: Silk
drunk birdhouse
2008-04-08 18:23:00 Vine bottle packaging-birdhouse. Recycling concept. The concept consists in giving to packaging the second applicability. Hopefully, it'll help keeping the picnic places cleaner. Designer: Michael Sholk Made in Russia http://www.sholk.com/ » <a href='http://www.designspotter.com/weblog /archives/2008/04/birdhouse_recyc.php'> ;original news</a> More About: Drunk , Birdhouse
Fokker 100 Canteen
2008-04-03 13:45:00 In 1996 legendary airplane manufacturer Fokker went bankrupt. The proud Dutch company, founded in 1912 by Anthony Fokker, made once the illustrious Dr.1 fighter plane (1917) (one was flown by the Red Baron), the G-1 (1936) fighter and the Fokker F27 Friendship (1955) perhaps three of the most beautiful planes ever made. The Fokker shown here, is the last, 100 seat fuselage, Fokker made. The bankrupt company failed to sell it as a whole plane so in 2000 the Breda based metal company Stolwerk could buy the fuselage from the warehouse at Schiphol. The wings and engine bays came from elsewhere from the planet and arrived a couple of months later. In 2004 the plane was ready to be used as canteen and meeting place. The airplane can be seen whilst travelling by train from Rotterdam to Breda at the left hand side, just before entering the station. Stolwerk metaal Canteen (2004) Fokker 100 (1986 » <a href='1'>original news</a>
747 Dissection
2008-03-27 17:01:00 This phenomenal picture is related to the Superuse story of the 747 Wing House. (http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title= 747-Wing-House-1) This is the actual dissecting of the Boeing 747 that is being used for the building. To give a feeling of the sheer size of these elements check out this Superuse item (http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title= 747-Jet-Shed). Here the fuselage is being used as shed, to repair vintage helicopters. The 747 elements for the house are being flown to the construction site by a helicopter. David Hertz 747 wing house (2005 - ...) Boeing 747 Malibu, California, USA www.syndesisinc.com Source: Picture was taken by Alan Radecki, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/4723 0867/ Alan shot this image of a 747 being scrapped at Adelanto, near Victorville, California, on Sept 20, 2005. Thanx to Telstar: http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telst arlogistics/ » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Dissection
747 Wing House
2008-03-26 00:23:00 'This project is a 55 acre property in the remote hills of Malibu with several sites and unique topography with panoramic views looking out to a nearby mountain range, a valley, and the ocean with distant island views. The client, a woman, requested curvilinear/feminine shapes for the building. The progenitor of the building's form was envisioned as a floating curved roof. It soon became apparent, that in fact, an airplane wing itself could work. In researching airplane wings and superimposing different airplane wing types on the site to scale, the wing of a 747, at over 2,500 sq. ft., became an ideal configuration to maximize the views and provide a self supporting roof with minimal additional structural support needed. The wing structures are conceived to float on top of simple concrete, shot-crete, and rammed-earth walls that are cut into the hillsides. The floating roofs will derive simple support from steel brace frames, which will attach to strategic mounting points on the... More About: House , Wing
Lamborghini Countach Pin-Up
2008-03-20 15:25:00 The poster car of the 80ies was the Lamborghini Countach. It was designed by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone design studio. The young designer was not very experienced in some aspects of automobile design, such as practicality and ergonomics. Except perhaps for one of the trademarks of the car. The doors have horizontal hinges, so they lift up and tilt forwards. This is done because the car is very wide, a normal door wouldn't be practical in confined spaces. The outrageous supercar is also legendary for breaking down. Richard Moriarty, millionaire, ex legendary costume party host and now vineyard farmer, got tired of the car failing on him. Instead of bringing the Italian masterpiece to the scrap yard, he pinned his poster car onto the wall: 'I have a Lamborghini and a I've got a big wall.' The weight of the car got lowered by removing the V12 engine. Moriarty turned it into a '200 mph coffee table' for guest who prefer their drinks 'shaken and stirred.' He than hired a 7...
dismanteled planes
2008-03-20 14:05:00 At the end of their service life airliners may prove useful in many ways. They often fly as freighters for several years. When finally grounded they are scavenged for spare parts for other aircrafts, or used for training aircrews and firefighters. Sometimes sheet metal is cut off and melted down. » <a href='http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/num ber_of_planes_to_be_dismantled_worldwide' >original news</a> More About: Planes
Zipper Necklace
2008-03-20 00:32:00 One-of-a-kind jewelry made from old zippers could, according to herself, become the signature trashion thing from Finnish designer OutsaPop. The model shows her latest design. This collar was made for a friend who took this picture of it. It has been reconstructed from 12 metal jacket zippers. It took 3 hours to pint these onto the mannequin and 7 to sew them together by hand. OutsaPop didn't invent the Zipper Collar, that honor goes to Comme Des Garçons. Zipper Necklace 12 zippers OutsaPop (Outi Pyy) trashion: www.outsapop.com/ Photograph: Mikko Rasila, placed with permission from OutsaPop: http://www.flickr.com/photos/outsapop/233 9331947/in/set-72157602058853821 » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Recycling and home design
2008-03-19 20:14:00 Renowned British eco-designer Oliver Heath - former presenter of the TV series Changing Rooms - explores the uses of recycled materials in the home - what can be recycled, how to reuse materials in diy projects, and what sort of products made from recycled goods are available. » <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eii_ 7WTxoHw'>original news</a> More About: Design , Home Design , Recycling , Home
Concorde Experience
2008-03-17 09:27:00 On 26th of November 2003, the Concorde flew for the very last time. Due to a crash of a type on 25 July 2000, world economic effects arising from the 9/11 attacks and some other factors, operations ceased on 24 October 2003. The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was the more successful of the only two supersonic passenger airliners which ever operated commercially. The Tupolev Tu-144, which looked almost alike, being the other. The development programme was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, with a total of 20 aircraft eventualy built. The costly development phase thus represented a substantial economic loss. Air France and British Airways were subsidised their governments to buy the aircraft by, while other sales were blocked by the 1973 oil crisis and competition from the Boeing 747. Nonetheless, the Concorde made large operating profits for British Airways for much of its service life. First flown in 1969 Concorde service commenced in 1976 an... More About: Experience
dumped.....
2008-03-17 09:26:00 Eleven unsuspecting volunteers are left marooned on one of Britain's biggest landfill sites for three weeks. Their challenge? To survive off the rubbish the rest of us have thrown out. How will they react when they are delivered to a huge, smelly British landfill site instead of paradise? And how will our volunteers cope when brought face to face with the sheer scale of the typical British landfill? Can they turn the grime and pong of 1000 tonnes of rubbish into a precious resource? Will they manage to eek out a living? Will they be surprised at the quality of life they can carve out of unwanted waste? And will their experience make them think about their own lifestyles? Dumped aims to highlight Britain's mountain of waste. Every year each of us throws away half a tonne of rubbish and with only a little over a quarter being recycled, most of the rest ends up in landfill. The Dutch and Austrians recycle more than twice as much as we do. Why are we in such a mess, and what can w...
shiny things of old wood
2008-03-16 20:57:00 Oudhout (literally Old Wood ) creates monumental art out of old planks. He does not use paint! The wood is found in dumpsters, along faraway coasts and in abandoned farms. All these originally colored planks are sawn into hundreds of small pieces, thus creating photorealistic images of cars (among others Ferrari's, Dodge Chargers and Alfa Romeo's), All Stars sneakers and his now famous 'Drinks' series: a Cup of Coffee, the Coca Cola on the Rocks and Red Red Wine... Oudhout's work has been shown in galleries in Holland and the USA. He will have a show in NYC in April 2008 and will be featured in the upcoming Motoart Gallery in Las Vegas.... » <a href='http://www.oudhout.com'>original news</a> More About: Things , Shiny
Porter's Cabin
2008-03-13 20:34:00 Sometimes a change of career, also means a change of workplace as well. A certain careerswop in Rotterdam ment keeping the same workplace: At the RET shed the driver's part of the tram has been superused into a porter's lodge. Nice touch to reuse the flexibel tram's line numberingsystem into the number of the building. Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15262666@N05 /2314839734/ » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Cabin
Tablephones
2008-03-12 13:20:00 Yes, always in Mauritania, tables made with construction iron rods and wasted PVC telephone cards. Economic and cool!! » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Newspaper House
2008-03-12 13:14:00 From our correspondent* in London East London artist Sumer Erek turns old news into a house: 'making public use of a public space using public waste.' A large quantity of the newspapers is donated by Metronet Rail, the firm which maintains the bulk of the London Underground. Leaving papers in public transport is a serious problem. A TNS OnLineBus Survey for Creative City revealed that one in four people leave their newspapers behind. Suzie Bement of Metronet Rail said: 'We know everyone loves their Metro but please take them home and recycle them.' The company already donated two tonnes of newspaper to the project in Dalston, East London. Erek, a 48 year old Cypriot has used 80,000 papers: 'People don't think you can build a house from newspapers because paper is to flimsy, but when it is rolled up it is quite strong.' Sumer Erek (1959) Newspaper House (2008) 80.000 old newspapers Dalston, East London, England Picture: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/climatewatch/ article.ht...
Security Envelope Beads
2008-03-10 22:01:00 JunkMailGems.com is now making cool paper beads out of the patterns inside of security envelopes. Beads are available loose in blue or black to make your own jewelry, or already made into necklaces and earrings! » <a href='http://junkmailgemsblog.blogspot.co m/2008/03/new-security-envelope-pattern-b eads.html'>original news</a> More About: Security , Envelope
Nader Khalili passed away
2008-03-10 21:45:00 Iranian-born Nader Khalili, architect, educator, and author, passed away at the age of 71 on Wednesday, March 5th. Khalili was known for his innovation into the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as Ceramic Houses and the Earthbag Construction technique called Super Adobe. He had been involved with Earth Architecture and Third World Development since 1975, and was a U.N. consultant for Earth Architecture. (from archinect) Nader Khalili is renowned for his building technique to create domelike shelters out of sandbagmaterial, earth and barbed wire, materials widely available in postwar zones. » <a href='http://archinect.com/news/article.p hp?id=72321_0_24_0_C'>original news</a>
Airplane Campervan
2008-03-10 21:42:00 'Airplane House (Campervan) at right solved the dwelling shortage for E .H. Kantz of Dallas, Tex. He built it from an old A-10 fuselage, an ancient Cadillac chassis - which he extended 10 feet - and a Ford V-8 engine. It won't fly, but you ,get the sensation of landing an airplane when you buzz along at 50, he says.' E .H. Kantz Airplane Campervan A-10 Dallas, USA Quoted: Mechanix Illustrated (January 1947) http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/12/17 /airplane-house/ P.S. I've never heard of an airplane from the 40s called A-10. If someone has any ideas about this: welcome. Reference: Check out this site for more inventions from the 30's and 40's: http://blog.modernmechanix.com » <a href='1'>original news</a>
International Design Awards
2008-03-10 10:43:00 Designs that Decrease Man's Carbon Footprint While science is sending its best to the arctic poles to diagnose global warming, the Los Angeles-based International Design Awards is taking the conundrum elsewhere: to those who design the manmade world. IDA is sponsoring the Land & Sea competition to address the pesky carbon footprint, inviting architects and designers of interiors, products, graphics and fashion internationally -- both professionals and students -- to submit realized, in-progress and conceptual work that, in some way, promises a greater relationship between man and the world around us. Work is being accepted in two categories: The land For example, an alternative-fuel car, an organic fertilizer, a LEED-certified home, a recyclable wallpaper, a dress using non-petroleum polyester. The sea For example, a sailboat, beachwear made from organic fibers, a waterfront park, an alternative fuel jetski. Rewards include: An international press campaign celebrating... More About: Design
Container Corridor # 2
2008-03-09 11:42:00 Next to this building site this Container Corridor is put up. The contractor has put a series of containers onto the path, making some sort of safe corridor. A protection against huge pieces of heavy material. On YouTube can watch the above http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN6ZJPbd79 8 and experience a bit going through such a corridor yourself. Container Corridor (2008) Shipping Containers Rotterdam, The Netherlands » <a href='1'>original news</a>
BAR Arest by 2012architecten
2008-03-09 11:42:00 Instead of a expostion about himself in the NAi, Wiel Arets decided to create the Happening. This series of events take place in the main hall of the NAi, the Dutch Architecture Institute. Here his team designed a pavillion titled Comfortably Strange and was created from black MDF. The BAR Arest, by 2012 architecten, is made from pieces of building trash from the Pavilion of Wiel Arets. It is build at the same time. The main lines of the plan are based on his pavilion, sightlines and practial use. Extra demand for the builders was that they were allowed to make just one extra saw cut, so creating consitancy in the design and a contraform reference to the Arets pavilion. The bar and pavilion can be seen until May 4th 2008 in the main hall. BAR Arest Black MDF Design: Cesare Peeren, John Bosma, www.2012architecten.nl On-Site design: Jasper van der Made, Pieter Scheer, Pieter de Jonge Picture made by Karola van Rooyen, 2012architecten: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2012archite. ..
Marble table
2008-02-03 12:31:00 ManonaEUR(TM)s table and seats are entirely made out of booty. The eight plates of white Carrara marble were part of the marble cladding for the building Library of Human Science of the main Brussels University (Université Libre de Bruxelles). The building was erected in 1994; the architectural firm, Art and Build, originally intended to clad the 8-stories high prismatic volume entirely with brick-masonry. The local heritage authority imposed the use of a more precious material, that would furthermore avoid the new library to compete with the brick and sandstone historic architecture of the original university buildings that surround the site. Both parties eventually agreed upon white Carrara marble, to be sawn in squares of about 75x75cm. The technology used to fix the blades was inadequate however, and after slightly more than a decade, the façade showed signs of deterioration that were estimated serious enough to proceed to a full replacement of the marble cladding. Dism... More About: Table , Marble
Bike Your Watch
More articles from this author:2008-01-31 23:26:00 Brasilian Jose Geraldo Reis Pfau`s passion for bikes started in the sixties when he was inspired by the movie aEUR~Easy RideraEUR(TM). To make miniatures versions of motorcycles came when he saw other miniatures made from stuff like wood, potery, screws and wires. But non of those artists works with watches. Jose got the watches after they were gathered through a shop's advertising campaign. This watch store was run by his personal friend, Alexandre Ranieri Peters. He created a campaign where people could swap their old hour for a new one. The exchanged material was given to Jose. Because of a bizzy day job, he can only makes the miniatures in the weekends. The collection, now more than 200, is personal and not for sale, yet. Jose hopes he be able to sell them in the future. His bikes have been exposed to the public in jewellery fairs. Jose Geraldo Reis Pfau (1950) Bike miniatures Watch parts (he even uses the batteries) Click on the picture to rediscover the watch parts. More ... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |




