How to Make a Home Out of Shipping Containers

(Image courtesy of City Center Lofts)

Soon to rise up in the heart of one of Salt Lake City’s historic districts, is a condo project called City Center Lofts, designed by architect Adam Kalkin, to be the first mid-rise building in the U.S. built from international shipping containers.  In the mode of many European architects, Kalkin has experience designing a number of luxury as well as affordable homes out of shipping containers, and he is employing his expertise to help make this residential project one of the greenest in the State of Utah.  Taking a wholistic approach, the project team is focusing on sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.  The main green features within the building will be natural ventilation; no or low-VOC paints, sealants and adhesives; a high efficiency air-to-air heat exchanger and HEPA filtration; low-E windows; on-demand hot water heaters; a green roof; on-site bicycle storage; and most notably, construction from 50% recycled materials by weight, which is no small feat.  Another factor making City Center Lofts so progressive is that its central location makes it so pedestrian friendly, allowing residents convenient access to numerous neighborhood amenities as well as public transportation.

Please visit City Center Lofts for more information.

What’s New at The Body Shop?

As part of its Nature’s Way to Beautiful campaign, the first marketing effort since its purchase by L’Oreal, The Body Shop has launched its Wellbeing line of  beauty products in 100% PCR (post-consumer recyclate) bottles, and will feature in-store displays describing the environmentally friendly nature of their products.  According to a Body Shop spokesperson, the company intends over the next 12 months, to convert all of their PET bottles from 30% PCR to 100%, with significant gains in PCR expected even before the end of 2008.  In an effort to get customers to stop using plastic bags, they have also introduced the Bag of Life, a shopping bag made of organic cotton-canvas, with $2.00 from each purchase being donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  In the long term, The Body Shop intends to become carbon neutral by 2010.

The Body Shop

Bag of Life

Meet the ReUse People of America

As their Mission Statement articulates, “The ReUse People of America reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse.”  With headquarters in Oakland, CA, and a number of branches throughout the country, TRP is busy spreading the word about salvaging the overwhelming amount of materials from construction sites, in an effort to minimize waste flow to landfills.  Begun in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic floods in Tijuana, Mexico in April, 1993, with the help of San Diego and Tijana government and business leaders, the firm set out to provide over 400 tons of donated material to help rebuild devastated communities.  Once they acquire materials from construction sites, The ReUse People of America will then either sell them to customers at one of their facilities, or donate them to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.  The company also offers demolition services for homeowners, whereby one may acquire tax deductions based on the overall value of salvaged materials, and provides online inventories of available materials according to location at regional TRP warehouses.

Please visit The ReUse People of America for more information.

Yarn From Old Newspapers

Today’s news, tomorrow’s textiles. A graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven, Greetje van Tiem, has found a distinctive and creative way to recycle old newspapers that have been sitting around. As part of a school assignment, van Tiem completed a project that turns newspapers into yarn, and although not quite the same as regular yarn, it can be spun tighter and woven into something like a mat to be nearly as durable and functional. These newspaper threads can be woven into products like rugs, curtains and upholstery for the home, to help create a very distinguishing look. The delicate yarn is handspun and requires few supplies: a pair of scissors, a spindle, and of course, the newspaper itself. Twenty yards of yarn can be made from each sheet of newspaper. Van Tiem calls the project Indruk. She says that it is possible to transpose yesterday’s news into tangible memories.

http://www.greetjevantiem.nl

Materials from Detergent Bottles, Swimming Pool Covers, and Old Tires

Yemm & Hart, based in Missouri, offers many unique products featuring their own materials made from common recycled items such as detergent bottles, swimming pool covers, and tires.  Their three lines of materials create unique and colorful products that can be used by anyone.  One decorative material, known as Origins, is created from discarded detergent bottles.  Unlike other plastic laminate products with patterns that are printed on to create a uniform design, Yemm & Hart’s products made from their Origins line, have a more random coloring pattern.

The creation of Origins involves many steps.  Used bottles are collected, sorted by color, shredded into very small pieces, and then soaked in hot water to remove any contamination such as soap or paper labels.  Sorting the bottles by color during this preparation process, allows for color pattern customization.  A measured amount of blended colors is then spread into a mold, placed in an oven, and heated until it transformed into a liquid.  Pressure is then applied, which causes distribution of the colored flakes.  The pattern comes out differently every time for each product, and the colors used tend to be very vibrant, which Yemm & Hart believes is a key selling point for this material line, making them stand out from other products on the market.  In the end, they are pleasing to the eye, and more desirable than typically one-colored recycled items.  Products range from countertops, casegoods, lighting and tables, to smaller items such as clipboards and picture frames.

YEMM & HART

Reusing one Tree at a Time

Calling themselves “urban forestry pioneers”, Pittstown, NJ-based CitiLog saves trees (from both urban and non-urban sites) that would otherwise be burned as firewood, chipped to make mulch, or sent to a landfill, so they can be put to one of their many potential uses. To lower the footprint of tree removal even more, the company often employs a team of workhorses to move trees from a site! Whether it’s custom door frames as part of the restoration of a historic home, high design furniture and interiors for cafes, hotels, or even the Ivy League (Yale and Columbia), CitiLog has the staff of LEED accredited and FSC-knowledgable green building professionals and skilled craftspeople to work closely with clients to produce a range of products according to spec. As part of its CampusLog program, the company is currently working with RiderUniversity on a LEED certified dormitory to open next year, which will incorporate some of the actual 123 trees felled on the site. All of CitiLog’s wood is certified under Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program due to its low impact processing.

The nature of CitiLog’s approach injects a high level of environmental consciousness into a project that many potential clients will come to appreciate more and more, especially as current green building guidelines make their future transition from option to requirement for construction projects the world throughout. Maybe the next time you come upon a tree in a city or around a construction site, you might think about where it came from and where it’s going. CitiLog certainly does with its mission to preserve and reuse an often overlooked “commodity”.

A few informative links:

Rainforest Alliance

Forest Stewardship Council

U.S. Green Building Council