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Articles
first Benelux Earthship
2008-10-04 05:41:00 In Zwolle the first dutch Earthship is being constructed. An american team of Earthship Biotecture (www.earthshipbiotecture.org) cooperates with dutch volunteers to realise this great experiment before the end of this year. An Earthship is an autarcic building - completely self sufficient for water, sewage, electricity and heating and is built up from preferrably reclaimed or natural materials like cartires, earth, bottles and cans. Earthship biotecture realised about 1200 earthships worldwide but in the Benelux so far noone had dared to take this step. The owaze foundation (www.owaze.nl) worked five years on inspiring dutch audience and finally found a housingcorporation in Zwolle that wanted to construct an earthship to celebrate their 100th anniversary, making an extremely sustainable statement. 2012Architects provided the sketchdesign, inventorised material supply for the building and made it pass through dutch building law. A team of Earthship Biotecture and European part...
deconstructing cleveland
2008-10-04 05:40:00 Deconstructing a house is like a W.P.A. project in reverse: a monumental taking down of what has been built to reclaim the energy and value locked away inside. Brad Guy, president of the Building Materials Reuse Association, a nonprofit in Pittsburgh that supports the fledgling deconstruction industry, is trying to just that. read more in the eight page article from the New York Times » <a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/m agazine/28house-t.html?_r=1&pagewante d=1&oref=slogin'>original news</a> More About: Cleveland
Superuse - the film
2008-10-04 05:40:00 Now online: superuse- the film, a documentary on the work of 2012Architecten "the visionary dutch architects transforming recycled materials into modern design masterpieces" design | e² (the economies of being environmentally conscious) is an original six-part series that explores the vitality of the environment through eco-friendly architecture. Narrated by Brad Pitt, the series introduces us to the inventive leaders and technologies driving sustainable practices worldwide in the design of buildings where we live, work, and play. december 2007 a crew of five followed 2012Architects for one week, filming their work and interviewing clients and the three partners of the office. The documentary gives a good insight into the drives and ambitions of superuse http://www.pbs.org/e2/episodes/306_super_ use_trailer.html » <a href='http://www.design-e2.com/'>origi nal news</a> More About: Film
adaptive carmirrorwall
2008-10-04 05:40:00 The eleventh Architecture biennial in Venice hosts a huge amount of Superuse entries this year. The theme set out by Aaron Betsky this year is 'Beyond Building' which inspired many contributors to a conscious but humoristic approach on materials. The full program of the 11th biennal can be found at www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/ The entry called "Sorry for Taking Your Mirrors" by Aether Architecture talks about new ways of creating spaces which are 'high-tech' and 'low-tech' at the same time: they are interactive, responsive, can physically change to accommodate various functions over time, but are built form reused everyday objects, which are readily available around the world. We are interested in architectural research into technological spaces that are low cost, enabling and welcoming. » <a href='http://www.aether.hu/sorry-for-taki ng-your-mirrors'>original news</a> More About: Adaptive
Birds Alarm! Discs
2008-10-04 05:39:00 Keep birds out of gardens, fruit trees, berries and other areas with these ingenious discs. Made from recycled compact discs, the shiny holographic background makes the bird-of-prey image jump off the disk, scaring even the most persistent birds, and keeping them away. Pest birds are genetically programed to respond to the silhouette of raptors. The dark image on the disc and the holographic background, coupled with the slightest movement from the wind makes birds believe that a hawk is about to swoop down on them. Package of 3 discs. 230501 SpringStar Bird Alarm ! Discs , 3/pk (0.17#) $8.95 » <a href='http://www.biconet.com/ birds/birdAlarm.html'>original news</a> More About: Birds
Postcard Holder Chandelier
2008-10-04 05:27:00 Walking around in Rome we passed this very stylish Breil Milano Store. Tree cool lamps made of a steel postcardholder are hanging in the entrance hall. The store is designed by Andrea Rosso (It) together with the dutch designer Edwin Vlassenroot. The lamp made by Edwin is for sale with different options: antique glass photo's, 'copper' cards, etc. The lamps are also hanging in Breil Milano's New Yorks flagship store. Flagship store Roma: http://www.breilmilano.com/#/it/news/on-a ir/breil-milano-inaugura-un-flagship-a-ro ma/ Andrea Rosso: http://www.andrearosso.com/ Edwin Vlassenroot: http://www.edwinvlassenroot.com » <a href='http://www.edwinvlassenroot.com/Lam pchde4.htm'>original news</a> More About: Postcard
How Can I Recycle This?
2008-10-04 01:20:00 How can I reuse or recycle a children's paddling pool? How can I reuse or recycle old watches? How can I reuse or recycle After Eight mints boxes and wrappers? How can I reuse or recycle old golf balls? How can I reuse or recycle cardboard-backed waffle foam? How Can I Recycle This? Is a Q&A website, where people can answer questions posted by the founders, the couple Louisa Parry and John Leach. 'This site started from a bowl of pistachio nut shells. After we gorged ourselves on their lovely innards, they, the shells, just sat there, looking useful and versatile - but we no idea what we could possibly do with them. Just throwing them on the compost heap seemed a waste - all the effort to make them tough and solid, and here we were just hoping they'd rot back down to mulch before the potatoes needed earthing up.' The site is a free inspiring brainstorming to generate possibilities of reusing everyday items. Minor is that its not made visible how the stuff that surroun...
Le Clochard Quilt Cover
2008-10-01 19:58:00 These quilt cover and pillow cases set that look like the folded cardboard boxes. So Cool! It is the Le Clochard Quilt Cover Project by SZN(www.snurkbeddengoed.nl). This project hopes to help young homeless people in the Netherlands. "The income is used to fund housing projects which prioritise supporting young people in finding work or continuing their education." The quilt cover comes in several sizes in a price range from about $73 to $117. A set of two pillow cases costs about $22. » <a href='http://www.likecool.com/Le_Clochard _Quilt_Cover--Accessories--Home.html'> original news</a>
american pet facts
2008-09-30 00:37:00 Hopefully if you're at this site and reading this you are well aware of the alternatives to using disposable bottles and recycle the ones you do. The advent of bottled water sent our already wasteful consumer culture into pollution overdrive and it's a tremendous task to put the brakes on the momentum of this waste. Here is a list of plastic bottle fun facts that put the magnitude of this pollution into scope. Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting 90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself 80% of plastic bottles are not recycled 38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda) 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States Although it can be easy and conv... More About: Facts
PEOPLESKITCHEN
2008-09-23 15:35:00 The mobile Peopleskitchen makes it possible to cook and eat in inaccessible locations-at first sight-to the public. The Peopleskitchen exist from a system of wooden auctioncrates, beams and canvas. It is put together with shelfs, belts and wedges. The auctioncrates serve aswell as storage of the cook- and food material. People that pass by and invitees are invited to cook and consume a meal together. Thus there a temporary meetingplace in uninhabited urban locations arises such as construction locations, construction wells or empty buildings. The intention is to make contrast tangible between the harsh character of the location and it social of together dining. Differently said, inaccessible places become shortly a public meeting space. » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Beer opener
2008-09-22 09:59:00 Drive two screws in a piece of wood and there's your beer opener! (I think the wood might come from the rainforest though) » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Beer
recycled toys furniture
2008-09-18 10:57:00 The eleventh Architecture bienal in Venice hosts a huge amount of Superuse entries this year. The theme set out by aaron Betsky this year is 'Beyond Building' The theme inspired many contibutors to a conscious but humoristic approach on materials. The full pragram of the 11th bienal can be found at www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/ Greg Lynn has won the Golden Lion for the Best Installation Project in the International Exhibition at the biennale, for a series of furniture made from recycled children's toys. The jury found Greg Lynn's experimental recycled-toys furniture to best embody the Biennale theme of Out There: Architecture Beyond building. The jury took interest in those projects in which experimentation took on the character of research, and thus to redirect the naïve ambition to achieve a novel solution to a difficult problem in a single daring leap toward increasing the body of knowledge and technique that the entire field can continue to develop. Though remai... More About: Toys , Furniture
bagbrick wall
2008-08-22 09:35:00 Tonio de Roover experimens for some years with constructing bricks out of plastic bags. he collects these massive daily wasted piecss and builds very colourful elements in standardised size so they;re easy to stacjk as a wall. The solidity of theis new element is surprising compared to the fragility of the original item. » <a href='http://www.tonioderoover.nl/blog/?p =33#more-33'>original news</a> More About: Wall
waste innovation competition
2008-08-21 13:03:00 Keeseh Studio invites students and design enthusiasts to celebrate the pursuit of ecodesign through an international competition to utilize waste material. A given manufacturing facility creates many copies of a product; therefore they create many copies of their waste material as well. Waste material can be used as raw material for other products or processes; this concept is known as upcycling. The goal of the competition is to promote upcycling by encouraging the use of wasted materials to generate innovative designs and redefine the standards of environmental sustainability by fostering balance between conservation and development. This competition will provide a stepping stone to help educate viewers of the vast opportunities and future development of environmentally friendly processes, materials, and products. All entries must be received digitally or by mail no later than October 1st. 3 entries will win media coverage of their product or process and one will win a cash pr... More About: Competition , Innovation
Cessna Billboard
2008-08-20 09:10:00 In Kyoto, Japan an old Cessna 172 is reused as billboard for a shop. I'm not shure if the propellor is still working, the plane could than function as a fan, wind machine. The Cessna 172 the most build aircraft in the world (43.000), it is also the most popular flight training aircraft in the world. Owner of the Olympia store Billboard Cessna 172 (models constructed since 1957 till today) Kyoto Japan Picture made by Todd from Telstar, placed with kind permission: http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172 » <a href='1'>original news</a>
The Garbage Continent
2008-08-19 11:39:00 A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Continent , Garbage
Billboards into wearable art
2008-08-09 05:09:00 Wearable art for the shoulder or in a bag. Vy&Elle (a play on the word 'Vinyl")have reclaimed over 120 tons of billboard in the U.S.to date, and are helping educate corporation and the public about the practice of vinyl billboards and their impact on the environment. Their items are also made with RPET so that the product is all recycled material. » <a href='http://vyandelle.com'>original news</a> More About: Billboards
dismantled planes
2008-08-07 17:10:00 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
Hockey Stick Bench
2008-08-01 10:52:00 So, when totally play-offed, when collectively thrown way after a lost match, when the team went broke, or when stolen to sabotage the other team. What than to do with all those hockey sticks. Construct them into a bench! - unknown craftsman - Hockey -stick bench (pre 2006) Used hockey-sticks Jasper, Canada Picture made Schneefloeckli, placed with kind permission: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schneefloeck li/125895152/ » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Stick , Bench
Ship Residence
2008-08-01 10:51:00 High upon a promontory on South Bass Island in Lake Erie at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, sits the Owners and Captains Quarters of the former Great Lakes Ship ping Boat, The Benson Ford. The boat was built by Henry Ford and named after his grandson many years ago. After fifty years of service on the Great Lakes, the Benson Ford was scheduled in 1986 to be scrapped at the Port of Cleveland, Ohio. On the top front section of the boat were the walnut paneled state rooms, dining room, galley, and passenger lounge designed by Henry Ford for his own pleasure while traversing the Great Lakes on business. This is when an Ohio husband and wife stepped in realizing that these elegant quarters would be a magnificent residence, if they could only be removed from the rest of the ship and brought to land. After many days with torches and cranes, the Quarters were removed from the ship and floated by barge some sixty miles west to the tranquil island of South Bass Island. Additional cranes were needed to...
Redneck Mansion
2008-07-31 10:33:00 This picture touted the internet as Redneck Mansion . As variant of this: nice idea for a caravan treehouse as well, almost like in the Belgian movie Koko Flanel staring Urbanus. In this movie he pluges a caravan into a tree. The collection of trailers and a caravans is actually an outdoor theatre set. Build in 2005 for Theater Het Amsterdamse Bos to host the Anton Chekov play Ivanov: A story about a guy who has lost something. Theater Het Amsterdamse Bos Ivanov-set (2005) (now demontaged) Trailers and caravan from the seventies, container Het Amsterdamse Bos, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Pictures: http://www.sonnyradio.com/redneckmansion. htm http://www.bostheater.nl/bostheater/archi ef.html#2005 » <a href='1'>original news</a>
Message In A Bottle
2008-07-25 19:30:00 Dr Markus Erickson and Joel Pashal from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation are sailing to Hawaii with a raft constructed from trash. This sailable raft is made from a 1961 Cessna airplane, tied to sailboat masts with plastic bag rope, and 15000 pet bottles in fishing-nets that make it float. 'We were looking for something that was lightweight and could stand the banging of the Ocean.' Students from three high schools helped with the construction of the raft, they made rope from plastic bags and cleaned the PET-bottles. With this action the men want to call attention to plastic soup which is now floating in the Pacific Ocean (this problem is featured in an earlier article on Superuse: The Garbage Continent http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title=G arbage-Continent ) Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Dr Markus Erickson and Joel Pashal. Junk (2008), sailable raft Cessna 310 (1961), 15000 pet bottles, fishing-nets, sailboat masts, plastic bags. Long Beach, California (01/06 ... More About: Message , Bottle
Reel Rocking Chair
2008-07-24 10:42:00 This wooden rocking chair is the first design of UK-based Reel Furniture. The chair is simply assembled and seems quit comfortable. The slats conform to the shape of your back and with the rigging rope stops and has three basic positions: 1. Sit forward on the front stop, relax and rock away 2. as a lounger and 3 put your feet up to sunbathe or to watch the stars. 'We try to retain the holes, knots and markings that give this rocking chair a unique and tactile character. The stops are made into a sailor's blood knot from rot proof, hemp coloured rope. The fittings are zinc plated for use both inside and out.' The rocker can be used as a garden lounger, the slats of the rocking chair can be easily removed and stored inside to keep them dry. Rocking chair disc dia 100 cms Inside width 50 cms Seat height 30 cms Reel furniture Reel Rocker (2002) Cable reel http://www.reelfurniture.co.uk » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Chair
Fence your skis
2008-07-22 12:08:00 So, when waxed beyond smooth, when one already went down whilst you where on top of the slope, when only one is left after a crash, or even worst, when grown out of style! What than to do with skis? Construct them into a fence! - unknown craftsman - Ski-fence (pre 2006) Used skis Sunvalley, Idaho, USofAmerica Picture made by Todd from Telstar, placed with kind permission: http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Fence
Bench your skis
2008-07-22 10:23:00 So, when waxed beyond smooth, when one already went down whilst you where on top of the slope, when only one is left after a crash, or even worst, when grown out of style! What than to do with skis? Construct them into a bench! - unknown craftsman - Ski-bench (pre 2006) Used skis Sunvalley, Idaho, USofAmerica Picture made by Todd from Telstar, placed with kind permission: http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Bench
Paper to wear
2008-07-17 20:53:00 It's waterproof, breathable and against expectations the paper based material Tyvek does not tear. Enough for designer Marian Schoettle to present a clothing line called Post Industrial Folk Wear with jackets, dresses and skirts. The details in the clothing are made of leftovers from local shops, a snowboard shop and polishing disks. Tyvek producer DuPont takes back all used or leftover material to recycle it into new, however lesser quality material. The paper material is also based on carbon, but instead of only asking us to recycle it, is already partly made of recycled material. Since there's a big flow of material coming from envelopes and building insulation, it sounds like a clever thing to cross over to a smaller industry. » <a href='http://www.postindustrialfolkwear.c om'>original news</a> More About: Paper
Turn left for fire
2008-07-10 18:54:00 A steering column for a boat should be strong, watertight, weatherproof and have room for steering cables. And just maybe, it could still put a fire out. » <a href='1'>original news</a> More About: Fire , Left , Turn
Tailor shop
2008-07-10 18:53:00 Cable reel can also become a shelter. In the picture an amazing tailor shop in Nepal. The entree was made possible by Smart Shelter Foundation: an association which aims to contribute to the improvement of the living standards of the poorest in the fields of habitat, sanitation and their direct environment. » <a href='http://www.smartshelterfoundation.o rg/'>original news</a> More About: Shop
Pykrete: sawdust ice
2008-07-10 00:40:00 Pykrete, also known as picolite, is a composite material made of approximately 14% sawdust (papershreds or wood pulp) and 86% water by weight then frozen. It is invented by Max Perutz during World War II. The material was proposed to United Kingdom's Royal Navy, by Geoffrey Pyke, as a candidate material for making a huge, unsinkable aircraft carrier, Project Habakkuk. Steel and aluminium were in short supply and required for other purposes. Pyke realized that the answer was ice, which also could be manufactured for only 1% of the energy needed to make an equivalent mass of steel. Pykrete has some interesting properties, notably its relatively slow melting rate (due to low thermal conductivity), and its vastly improved strength and toughness over pure ice, actually closer to concrete, while still being able to float on water. Pykrete is slightly harder to form than concrete, as it expands while freezing, but can be repaired and maintained from the sea's most abundant raw materia... More About: Sawdust
I Rifiuti a Galla!
More articles from this author:2008-07-04 09:36:00 A "floating wokshop" will take place on the Italian beach of Acciaroli this summer. Everybody is welcome to build its own floating object out of the waste that every day covers our golden beaches. The waste normally ends up in our beloved Mediterranean sea affecting the maritime ecosystem. A game to play together in order to find new ideas and solution for the waste problem which is tremendously affecting the south of Italy. see also: http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title=G arbage-Continent http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title=P ET-bottles-boat http://www.superuse.org/story.php?title=C ola-Gondola » <a href='http://acciaroli08.blogspot.com/'&g t;original news</a> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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