The U.S. produces some 500 million tons of demolition debris each year—much of it destined for the landfill. But a clever European company could help turn the tide of tear-down trash. The Amsterdam-based StoneCycling salvages the rubble from demolished buildings and transforms it into new building materials and furniture pieces.
The salvaged brick and stone is crushed in a giant blender of sorts and then mixed with other waste materials like ceramic, clay, and glass into a sturdy, construction-grade aggregate. The different mixtures of materials create different colors and textures. StoneCycling produces nearly 20 types of brick used for everything from cladding to interior detailing to furniture.
StoneCycling’s products aren’t just for small-scale, niche uses. More than 15 tons of their WasteBasedBricks—made of materials recycled from an old Dutch building—were used to construct a modern Rotterdam home.
The company also recently unveiled a line of furniture and home products featuring their recycled aggregates. StoneCycling’s main aim is to raise awareness of their products among architects so that more construction rubble is recycled into buildings rather than sitting in landfills.
Via: Co.Design