Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

Salvaged and Recycled Materials

171

Arkin-Tilt Architects,

Eastern Sierra Residence,

Gardnerville, Nevada, United States

In addition to being energy effi cient, this

straw bale house incorporates many salvaged

materials. Most striking are the ailerons—the

hinged fl aps on the wings of airplanes that

control rolling movement—which have a

second life as sun shades on the exterior of

the greenhouse, a section of the home that is

extensively glazed to receive solar radiation

for thermal storage.

Above and Left Ore-cart wheels function as

brackets to support trellis beams made from

railroad track, in a reference to the region’s

long history of mining. Raised on both log

timbers and slender metal posts, the trellis

holds the canopy of adjustable photovoltaic

cells that shades the terrace.  roughout,

the house uses reclaimed wood for fl ooring,

paneling, and decking, as well as recycled

glass not only for the trombe wall but also for

an aggregate countertop.

172 Sustainable Environments

Bercy Chen Studio, Residence on Beverly

Skyline, Austin, Texas, United States

 e owner had obtained a large quantity of

reclaimed glass block and wanted it incor-

porated into the renovation of the thirty-

year-old house. Accordingly, the exterior

was reclad with the glass block and wood

rainscreen. As lighting conditions vary, even

under overcast skies, the glass surface ap-

pears to be constantly shifting; at night, the

façade glows as a block of white light.

Opposite  e glass block creates a sense of

light and openness that is reinforced by the

many outdoor decks with transparent, frame-

less guardrails.  e glass block is textured

inside so that it transmits light but retains

privacy for the interior, even where it faces

the street. Large glazed openings throughout

the house look out onto the garden and over

the city.

Salvaged and Recycled Materials

173

Rural Studio, Lucy’s House,

Mason’s Bend, Alabama, United States

 e building envelope of the main house

consists of stacked salvaged carpet tiles,

donated by Interface, a company that makes

widely distributed commercial carpeting.

Connected by the translucent entryway, the

folded metal structure adjacent contains the

parents’ bedroom and sits above a tornado

shelter that also serves as a family room.  e

transformation of this fl ooring product into

a construction material diverts the old carpet

from landfi lls; the energy that would have

gone into recycling it is turned to more pro-

ductive eff ort, giving a nonrenewable mate-

rial a second life. Subsequent to this project,

many fl ooring companies have introduced

reclaimed carpet products made into new or

reconditioned carpeting.

174 Sustainable Environments

Above Using the carpet tiles for exterior

walls required no additional fi nishes on

either the interior or exterior, which amounts

to a considerable savings in materials.  e

72,000 pieces of carpet tile, stacked manually,

are held in place by compression with a wood

ring beam just below the eaves. Metal col-

umns within the wall run from foundation to

roof for structural support, since the stacked

tiles do not have a load-bearing capacity.  e

broad eaves of the roof shelter the carpet

walls from rain and sun.

Salvaged and Recycled Materials

175