Recycled shipping containers make up this off-grid retreat

When homeowner Rosie dreams, she dreams big. Yet her home is anything but. Totaling only 60 square meters, her off-grid home is made from shipping containers, creating an environment that transports her into nature.

Dubbed Ahurewa, the home sits in a protected area of New Zealand’s Mahakirau Forest Estate. Rosie was able to buy a 23-acre parcel of land in the preserve following the sale of her home in Auckland. As such, Rosie is an appointed guardian of the land through an agreement with the QEII National Trust.

Related: Dvele prefab, off-grid homes are dedicated to the environment

Four shipping containers were fitted together to make up the main living spaces within the tiny home. It features a kitchen, a single bedroom and bathroom, sitting areas and a library with reading area. 

Because Ahurewa is completely off-grid, each system was selected to provide comfort and efficiency. Solar power is produced by a row of panels on the roof. A fifth shipping container houses the inverter and battery storage, as well as functioning as a mudroom to transition between the outdoors and the main part of the house. 

Two 25,000-liter water tanks sit outside the home. Water inside the home functions like any other house. The toilet flushes and is diverted into a black tank equipped with a worm-composting septic system. Greywater is similarly diverted and filtered.

The home is tightly insulated with natural eco-insulation for energy-efficiency. A small wood-burning stove supplements heating needs. The wood stove also features a built-in oven in case the home runs out of gas for the primary oven in the kitchen. 

The modular design of the tiny house allows for expansion at a later date if Rosie decides to add on or build up. Each cargo container is placed to provide views from every window. All of the units surround a central outdoor deck and large doors open up the indoor space to the outdoor area. Natural light streams into one side of the home in the morning and the other side in the afternoon and evening. 

Throughout the space, natural materials like wood are used from floor to ceiling, all working in conjunction with the industrial theme throughout the interior design.

+ Living Big in a Tiny House 

Images via Living Big in a Tiny House

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Silestone innovates with carbon-neutral quartz collection

Silestone® Sunlit Days carbon-neutral technology has garnered the line a win in the Hard Surfacing, Tiles & Stone Category in 2021 Architizer A+ Product Awards. It was even a finalist in the Sustainable Design category.

The win gives credit to Cosentino, the company behind the innovative quartz surface, but the product is a win for consumers and the environment, too. Silestone® Sunlit Days is the newest release by the company, which is a well-established leader in the quartz and engineered stone industry. 

Related: LIVDEN decorative tiles are made with recycled materials

The technology behind the product is called HybriQ+® by Silestone®, which has drawn attention for both material composition and manufacturing processes. The resulting material, Silestone® Sunlit Days, is a hybrid formulation of mineral raw materials, such as quartz and recycled ingredients. Notably, the collection is the first ever to achieve carbon-neutral status. 

Looking past the line’s natural and minimum 20% recycled materials, the process for manufacturing Silestone® Sunlit Days focuses on sustainability. The multi-purpose product is made in a factory that recycles 99% of the water used during production. 

The company also produces 100% renewable electric energy to fulfill energy requirements. According to a statement by the company, “The new manufacturing process also has zero water discharge, ensuring that local water sources are not polluted by chemicals.”

“The introduction of the Sunlit Days Collection embodies a new dawn of Silestone®,” said Eduardo Cosentino, CEO of Cosentino North America and EVP of Global Sales. “It celebrates a pivotal change for the global design world, demonstrating that change for the betterment of our planet is possible when we embolden ourselves to reimagine our manufacturing process and make the commitments necessary to reach carbon neutrality.” 

In addition to the industry-leading sustainability practices, the newest lineup reflects nature in the color options. The Sunlit Days collection is Mediterranean-inspired, offering shades titled Faro White, Cincel Gray, Arcilla Red, Cala Blue and Posidonia Green. Another product line by the company, called Ethereal, offers marble-inspired options. All products can be used for countertops, backsplashes or wall cladding in high-use areas.

+ Cosentino

Images via Cosentino 

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Notpla plant-based packaging is helping the world plastic problem

Notpla is a packaging solutions company. They’re not just using recycled cardboard or eliminating plastic foam. They’re redesigning the very idea of what packaging is and how it functions. As a result, the innovative products rolling off the line at the company are plant based and waste free. That’s a solution like no other. 

At its core, Notpla is a seaweed-based film that replaces plastic. Because it’s plant based and all natural, it’s completely biodegradable. Unlike bio-based plastics that claim to be compostable but actually have to be specially processed at the industrial level, Notpla products naturally break down in a few weeks. 

Related: Single-use food packaging waste nearly doubled during the pandemic

The company’s claim is, “We make packaging disappear.”

For example, they’ve developed a way to encapsulate condiments in a durable way without plastic or mixed materials. It’s a solution for the restaurant business and was created with the takeout industry in mind. Once you’ve squeezed your ketchup out, the packets can be tossed into the compost alongside vegetable peels, apple cores and other food where it will disappear in about a month.

Another product called Ooho can hold liquids such as water or juice in a dissolvable pod. In fact, the food-safe product is edible and has been used at sporting events, like the London Marathon, where runners can pop in hydration without a cup. Ooho can also be filled with premixed alcoholic beverages for a fun party spin without a single-use Solo cup in sight.

Notpla coating is another much-needed solution for the restaurant industry. The problem up to now has been providing a protective coating for to-go containers that will keep grease from seeping into the packaging. Few to-go containers can be recycled because they are either made from plastic film or the food soils the paper. Notpla coating addresses the problem with a plant-based coating made from seaweed that protects the food, the paper surface and the environment by naturally biodegrading. 

The company has also developed a bio-based plastic film to replace the plastic wrap in residential and commercial kitchens. Instead of causing plastic waste, Notpla films can be used for a variety of dry products — and then disappear.

For example, Notpla film can hold a pound of pasta, then be dropped directly into boiling water along with the noodles where it disintegrates. Notpla film is a solution for everything from individual coffee sachets to packaging for clothing. They offer both hot water and cold water soluble solutions. It’s time to think outside the box, tin can and especially plastic packaging with Notpla solutions.

+ Notpla 

Images via Notpla

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The Barn is created with ethically-sourced, reclaimed timber

You’ve seen plenty of barns in your day. They are wooden buildings tucked into an open landscape, rising up from the land and sticking out like a sore thumb. The Barn designed by Alexis Dornier is a beautiful extension of the natural world, existing as a part of it rather than an object separate from it.

Created with ethically-sourced, reclaimed timber, all 16 of the uneven, twisted columns inside give the building a distinct character. The columns were once part of a road that provided crossing through swampland.

Related: Noa* tucks a 3-star hotel beneath a refurbished barn in Italy

The columns are arranged in a nearly perfect square and stand as an integral component to the design. However, they aren’t just decorative. These columns are a supportive framework for the stairs, balconies, walls and sliding windows and doors. The building has three levels and a wide-open, airy design that makes the spaces inside expansive.

Ironwood planks, evenly milled, were used for the partition walls. The windows have their own partitions made of paper screens crafted from banana fiber. A skylight in the center of the building adds more natural light. This is a great way to show off the furniture, all of which is made from recycled teak and rattan mesh.

The first floor has a sunken conversation pit in the living room, which connects right to the main deck that leads to the elevated swimming pool. Pendant lights, made from banana fiber, hang from the ceilings. There’s also an exercise room, kitchen and dining area on the first floor. In the back, two bedrooms and a bathroom provide more living space.

The second floor has a master bedroom, a walk-in closet and the master bathroom. The incredible views all around add even more to the design, creating a connection to the outside world.

The outside garden beds are made with ironwood boards. A combination of lemongrass, lavender, cacti and other plants give the gardens a wild, natural look.

The Barn is nestled among native trees, with the garden becoming an extension of the natural landscape. More plants are inside the building, a perfect match for the wood. Even the twisting, winding staircase looks like a natural object, like the branches of a twisting tree reaching to the upper levels.

+ Alexis Dornier

Photography by KIE

 

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How using 3D-printed foam can cut down concrete waste

The construction industry is highly unsustainable. In fact, 7% of global CO2 emissions result from cement production alone. In an effort to cut down construction-related carbon emissions, researchers in the Digital Building Technologies (DBT) department at ETH Zürich have created FoamWork. The project examines how foam 3D printing (F3DP) can be used in conjunction with concrete casting. The outcome is a less labor-intensive system that enhances material efficiency and lowers carbon emissions.

Currently, cast-concrete structural elements use excessive material. Occasionally, engineers use hollow plastic forms to reduce concrete in standard slabs. For more complex systems, casting molds are made from timber or CNC-carved dense plastic foam. These labor-intensive systems overuse concrete or produce excessive waste from off-cuts. Conversely, using F3DP shapes within cast concrete formwork can save up to 70% of concrete, are significantly lighter and well-insulated.

Related: New eco-friendly, decomposing construction foam unveiled

A slab prototype by the DBT team shows how versatile it is to combine concrete structures and 3D-printed foam. The slab uses ribs derived from isostatic lines, which indicate the directions of compression and tension. Based on the principal stress pattern, the geometry of this slab has 24 cavities for foam inserts of 12 different shapes.

For the foam production, ETH Zürich has collaborated with FenX AG, a company that uses mineral waste to produce high-performance building insulation. A robotic arm fabricates the foam components using recycled fly ash, the waste from coal-fired power stations.

The foam components are arranged in timber formwork before poured in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) to cast the structural element. Once the concrete cures, the foam pieces can either be left in for their insulative properties, or the raw material can be recycled and reprinted for other FoamWork projects.

This process can be replicated for other standardized or more intricate concrete structural elements. Calculating the principal stress patterns can be used to design and fabricate various material-efficient structural elements. These can range from standardized elements to customized slabs and walls.

Since there are no off-cuts created in using FoamWork, the whole fabrication system has the potential to be zero-waste. Alongside minimizing material waste, the lighter masses of the structural elements allow for easy transportation, handling and assembly on construction sites.

+ Digital Building Technologies, ETH Zürich

Photography by Patrick Bedarf

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A little library provides a space for mental health

For the past two years, headlines and realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought stress, worry and loss. To varying degrees, nearly everyone is carrying a burden, with degrading mental health as a result. The Feelings Library by CAUKIN Studio was a temporary installation designed to provide an outlet for emotional resolution.

For three weeks in December 2021, the Feelings Library sat as a temporary pop-up in London, England. CAUKIN Studio collaborated with Self Space and Skip Gallery to create a space where passersby could drop in and share their feelings. 

Related: Art installation in Milan shows how much CO2 trees capture

The space was built from materials that are biodegradable. It can also be recycled for the next project CAUKIN Studio has lined up — a design and construction workshop with a school. 

Inside, there was a small sitting area with bookshelves. On the shelves were ten books, each labeled with common feelings and emotions. Inside each book, therapists wrote prompts to encourage thoughts and provided space to journal. The idea centers around connectivity and an understanding that, although each person feels they are alone in their stress, depression, sadness or anxiety, countless others are feeling the exact same way. 

Meant to counter loneliness and isolation, visitors were encouraged to share within the pages of the journals. Not only did this allow for personal expression, but reading the words of others created a shared experience — a human experience. 

As stated in a press release, contributing to the journaling experience “helps explore and celebrate the universality and complexity of our feelings. Visitors, including children, had the opportunity to exchange emotions, offload their worries and share their inner thoughts.”

+ CAUKIN Studio

Photography by Aron Klein and Katie Edwards

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Latest Adidas shoe uses upcycled materials to avoid waste

Adidas has introduced a new hiking and athletic shoe in its TERREX line of apparel. The Nothing Left Behind Free Hiker Gore-Tex shoe is an ankle-supporting athletic shoe in sophisticated colors for the sustainably-minded hiker. It’s the latest in a growing movement for sustainable footwear.

The Adidas TERREX Nothing Left Behind Free Hiker Gore-Tex shoes are the newest in the brand’s line of eco-conscious hiking shoes. They are part of the brand’s push for a more sustainable future and an end to plastic waste. The new shoes feature an upcycled upper with a breathable Gore-Tex waterproof membrane and Three Stripes Boost technology with responsive cushioning that provides bounce-back energy return as you walk. Continental-brand rubber outsoles and midsoles work together to provide traction on any surface.

Related: Adidas 100% recycled jacket is solving plastic pollution

Between the shoe’s fun colors and cool style, you would never guess it’s made of upcycled parts. The color palette is subtle but sporty, including muted red, pink, orange, green and blue details along with the classic gray Adidas stripes on the outside. Meanwhile, the upcycled parts use leftover materials from past product drops.

“Through an innovative program that upcycles leftover premium materials within our supply chain, we are able to create and unveil the latest version of the Free Hiker model for the very first time,” said Michael Kadous, Head of North America, Adidas Outdoor, Terrex and Five Ten. “The varying materials used through this method produces a truly unique silhouette for shoe collectors and aficionados worldwide. ‘Nothing Left Behind’ reinforces Adidas’ ethos and commitment to exploring all avenues towards becoming one of the most sustainable performance brands.”

Currently, The Nothing Left Behind Free Hiker Gore-Tex shoe is only available to Creators Club members and retails for $225. Buyers seem to be loving the shoes, with one reviewer even praising them for their comfort and ankle support.

+ Adidas

Images via Adidas

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