Default hero image

Inspiring places: Brighton Waste House- a living laboratory for ecological architectural design

brightonwastehouseThe Brighton Waste House features the installation of 20,000 toothbrushes, 2 tonnes of denim jeans and 4,000 DVD cases and is one of the first permanent public buildings in Europe to be constructed from nearly 90% waste. 300 students studying construction trades, architecture and design had the opportunity to work on the project and experience and explore sustainable design and zero-carbon living.

Designed to show that there is no such thing as waste but merely stuff in the wrong place, the building incorporates toothbrushes, old plastic razors, denim jeans and DVD cases into the wall cavities and the kitchen worktops are made from second-hand coffee grinds and plastic coffee cups.

The building is also low energy- the roof features a large array of PV panels and the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery unit has been surface-fixed, giving people the chance to see how it works.

The building is on campus at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Brighton and is available to schools, colleges and community groups for ‘green’ themed events such as sustainable design workshops.

Further information can be found here: https://arts.brighton.ac.uk/business-and-community/wastehouse/about

Green Growth Generation themes: Energy and Climate