Photo Analysis

Unusual Materials

When it comes to construction, almost anything goes. Throughout the years many people have moved into a more sustainable way of living. Some innovative architects have begun using recycled material such as styrofoam, ice, tires, etc, to create more environmentally friendly habitats. Recycled glass bottles are one particular unusual building material, which have been used a number of times in building forms.

One popular building form, which used recycled glass bottles was Edouard Arsenaults Bottle Houses of Prince Edward Island, which created a must-see tourist attraction situated in Cap-Egmont, Prince Edward Island, Canada. In the summer of 1979, Edouard started collecting bottles from his community. He then spent the winter in the basement cleaning the bottles and dreaming of his project. At the age of 66, he began his construction. “He was able to cleverly cement over 25,000 bottles in various shapes, sizes and colors, into three fantasy-like building” (bottlehouses.com). Unfortunately, the Canada winters are not very gentle, and the houses did not survive the effects of bad winter frosts. “Over the years, the buildings deteriorated to the point that they had to be rebuilt” (bottlehouses.com).

In the 21^st century, Heineken factories decided to make their products eco friendly after the owner saw beaches littered with bottles. The design of the beer bottles was “a brick that holds beer, known as Heineken WOBO(world bottle)” (inhabitat.com). The bottle was designed to be interlocking, laid horizontally and bonded with cement mortar.  The bottle was ahead of its eco design time. “It let beer lovers, and builders alike drink, and design all in one sitting” (inhabitat.com).

            Perhaps more of an environmental expression today than an act of necessity, glass bottles have been found to make excellent building materials if properly spaced, stacked, and set for stability. They are a plentiful resource, hold their color well over time, provide great indoor lighting, and are generally easy to clean. When combined with a binding material such as cement, they prove to be a stable building blocks as well. As the years go on, more and more people create astonishing designs using the most surprising materials. It is fascinating to see these unusual material buildings and its only certain that in the future we will see even more unusual materials being used.

References

Maison, E. (n.d.). The Bottle House of Prince Edward Island. The Bottle House of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved October 23, 2012, from http://www.bottlehouses.com/

Kriscenski, A. (n.d.). HEINEKEN WOBO: A Beer Bottle That Doubles as a Brick | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building. Inhabitat | Design For a Better World!. Retrieved October 23, 2012, from http://inhabitat.com/heineken-wobo-the-brick-that-holds-beer/

Design Expo 2012

Each year Texas Tech University interior design program puts on a Design Expo for the students. There are over 20 booths all displaying different products from fabrics to furniture. One particular booth that caught my eye was the Architex booth. Not only were there a ton of beautiful fabrics that they should us but they also have a new program on there website that allows you to put their fabric on a piece of furniture and get a jpeg version of it to trace if needed. They also informed us that if we ever needed samples to just call them and they will send them our way, which I loved because lets face it, the samples in the sample room are a little old.

These were some of the fabrics that Architex should us. One that particularly caught my eye was the fabric on the right. It was glittery (which I loved) but was also very durable and thick.

The Expo is always fun to attend. It allows the students to learn about future products and there is always good food which is a bonus! I learned a lot and enjoyed going around to each booth. I am certainly glad I went.

The purpose for this assignment was to go around campus and find several different ways that materials such as seating, wall coverings, and window coverings, exc, were used.

The first item is a seating application. 

This is a typical desk chair that was found in the Human Science building computer lab. 

The second item was floor applications. 

This carpet was also found in the Human Science building computer lab. 

Its made of a few different colors. 

The third item was window coverings. 

These were found in the Student Union Building. I found this to be a good choice of window coverings because something such as drapes would be to much for a building with so many windows. This type of window system allows for a lot of sunlight to come in, but also allows you to shut them but still see outside. 

The fourth item was wall coverings. 

This type of wall covering is wall paper. It had a checkered design. It was very plain and you couldn't really tell what design was on it but once you got up close it actually turned out to be aesthetically pleasing. 

The fifth application was panel systems. 

 These were found in one of our interior design rooms. The covering all four walls and go up to about 5 feet. 

The final application was fiber based art. 

These are flags found in the Student Union Building.