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Writer Penny Craswell explores the potential of secondhand and upcycled materials to craft new homes.
Sure, you could build a home from boring old wood. Or, a more exciting option, you could build a home from wood that is literally old, as in timber sourced secondhand from a prior build. A growing number of designers, architects, and builders are catching on to the goldmine that is construction waste, and have started recycling wood, plastic, and metal, and upcycling rubble to create entirely new materials for use in home design. It’s these homes that Australian design writer Penny Craswell explores in her upcoming book, Reclaimed: New Homes from Old Materials, out January 10, 2023, via Thames & Hudson.
Craswell offers some perspective on why we should implement a pre-used palette. In one of her examples, approximately 13 million tons of brick and clay tile debris was generated in the U.S. in 2015. In another, nearly 9 million tons of wood is thrown out in the U.K. every year, she reports, yet 80 percent is thought to be recyclable. If those numbers aren’t enough to inspire your own secondhand build, perhaps the projects within the pages of her new book will. If they do, Craswell provides a list of suppliers globally that can help you get started.
Reclaimed: New Homes From Old Materials
A celebration of sustainability, design, and creativity, this book presents beautiful homes created from recycled and repurposed materials.Bricks can be cleaned, timber hardens with age, and metal develops a pleasing patina without deteriorating, making them all perfect for reuse. Considering the many options for reusing building materials,this book offers a viable alternative to using those manufactured from virgin resources. This inspiring book is an antidote to the unsustainable use of materials, focusing on contemporary homes made with reused components or materials that might once have been considered waste. Divided into four key categories―brick, timber, metal, and a range of recycled materials―every home showcases design ingenuity and award-winning architecture. Image Courtesy of Thames & Hudson
"This book joins the dots for people wanting to take action on climate change, offering inspiration on how to design homes using reclaimed and recycled materials," says Craswell. "I hope people will discover that these materials can be used to create a whole variety of different looks, from old weathered timber, to white-painted brick, to bright-colored plastic. You don’t have to go in with an aesthetic in mind either, sometimes, the reclaimed material can surprise you and offer something you never expected."
Here, we share some of the most exciting homes from Craswell’s book, and a few more we’ve featured on the site that make clever use of used materials.
A Colorful New York Apartment Is Reimagined Using Reclaimed Timber
Location: New York City, New York
Architect: Andrew Franz Architect
Reclaimed materials: Timber for floors, cabinetry, storage wall, and door jambs
Architect Andrew Franz used reclaimed timber extensively in this renovation of a loft apartment in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, transforming a small space into a bright and comfortable home for four. The building dates from around 1908 and was probably originally a textiles factory. The blue and yellow cabinets are made from reclaimed timber and act as dividing walls with integrated storage.
Photo by Albert Vecerka, Esto
The use of the cabinets extends into the bedrooms. The architect chose reclaimed ash from local supplier The Hudson Company, which sources this hard and structural timber from old New England and Canadian barns. "It’s a beautiful old-growth wood," says the architect. "The client had a desire to use wood and to use as few species as possible."
Photo by Albert Vecerka, Esto
Blue tiles in the bathroom match the cobalt blue cabinetry made from reclaimed ash.
Photo by Albert Vecerka, Esto
See the full story on Dwell.com: For These Designers and Homebuilders, the Best Materials Are Ones That Have Already Been Used
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Read More
By: Mandi Keighran
Title: For These Designers and Homebuilders, the Best Materials Are Ones That Have Already Been Used
Sourced From: www.dwell.com/article/reclaimed-new-homes-from-old-materials-upcycled-recycled-home-design-f6d1eaac
Published Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2022 16:13:10 GMT
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