An architect or a designer's ultimate aim is to salvage materials for further use by general public.
A University of Brighton Professor went above and beyond the notion of putting discarded or damaged materials into some use.
Along with a crew of 253 students, BBM Architects Director and senior lecturer Duncan Baker-Brown used garbage to build an eco-house at the University's Grand Parade campus.
The Waste House Project is considered to be Britain's first structure constructed purely from leftovers and recovered materials. The project was completed in April after 15 months of hard labour - three months was spent on designing the house and another 12 on construction.
"Reusing waste saves money for big and small businesses and it relieves pressure on our planet. There really is no such thing as waste or surplus material and reusing it saves the environment by reducing the need to mine so much raw materials in the first place," Baker-Brown said in a statement.
Around 90 percent of the materials came from various domestic and building sites including some 20,000 toothbrushes (used once by business and first class aircraft passengers), 2 tonnes (1.8 tonnes) of denim jeans, 4,000 DVD cases, 2,000 floppy discs, and 2,000 used carpet tiles.
The frame and floors of the Waste House are fashioned from recycled wood, 4,000 VHS video cassettes were used to make wall insulation, 100 sheets of used and cracked plywood for flooring, joists and columns. As many as 500 inner tubes of bike were used for window seals and soundproofing purposes.
The energy-efficient property features a rammed-earth wall built from compressing chalk waste (11 tonnes or 10 tonnes) and clay (10 percent). The wall, which is 35 cm (13.7 in) thick, contains natural thermal properties.
Besides the recycled goods, new materials also went into making the Waste House - high-performance triple-glazed windows, a breathable facade membrane, and high-performance skylights. New electrical wiring and plumbing were also included to abide by modern safety and health standards.
The house that provides a new meaning to sustainable architecture also boasts of a series of sensors in the external walls. The sensors will keep a track of the home's insulation properties at important junctions and will measure the efficiency of several construction materials.
Currently, the Waste House will serve as an exhibition venue and design studio. The space is also available for schools, colleges and community groups to host green events and workshops.
