inhabitat

salvaged materials

pair of rusted steel clad cabins in the desert

These tiny steel cabins in Joshua Tree epitomize off-grid design

Located just north of Joshua Tree National Park, two tiny cabins clad in weathered steel give off the impression...

Houseboat H by Lanker Design LLC, Seattle sustainable houseboat, net zero houseboat, net zero floating home, LEED Platinum floating home, LEED Platinum houseboat, houseboat with floating islands,

Incredible net-zero floating home cleans the water around it

What if a home could improve the environment around it? That’s the question architect Michelle Lanker of Lanker...

House MM by Chris Collaris Architects, House MM Amsterdam, Amsterdam green renovation, black solar panels, blackened timber home, minimalist blackened timber architecture, passive solar home Amsterdam

Blackened timber cottage with solar replaces a decayed brick home

An old and decayed brick house north of Amsterdam has transformed into a modern solar-powered dwelling that stands...

Mike’s Hammock by Josh Wynne Construction, retirement cabin in Florida, design build tiny cabin, cabin for mobility limited, cabin in the woods fore retirement, salvaged materials in cabin, modern one-room cabin, Southern yellow pine construction

Son builds modern dream cabin from recycled materials for his aging father

Retiring to a cozy cabin in the woods is a dream of many. Josh Wynne helped his father fulfill that goal when he...

Birdhut by Studio North, Birdhut architecture, birdhouse architecture, human-sized birdhouse, birdhouse-inspired treehouse, British Columbia treehouse, treehouse made from reclaimed materials

This human-sized birdhouse for two is perched among the treetops

If you’ve ever wished you could make like a bird and roost in the trees, you’ll love this charming birdhouse-shaped...

1330 Brook Street Lawrence, 1330 Brook Street by Studio 804, sustainability Studio 804, Studio 804 University of Kansas, recycled materials in sustainable housing, affordable and sustainable housing,

Students build a low-cost yet high-quality sustainable home from recycled materials

Affordable and sustainable housing is possible—and Studio 804’s many projects are proof. Working together with...

Lake Michigan House by Desai Chia Architects and Environment Architects, Shou Sugi Ban architecture, Lake Michigan House, reclaimed timber in architecture, breezeway Lake Michigan architecture, Lake Michigan modern architecture,

Stunning Lake Michigan home is built from dying ash reclaimed onsite

This stunning timber home embraces the Midwestern landscape with its design and use of local, reclaimed materials....

Wave Organ, Exploratorium, San Francisco, land art, environmental art, public art, art installation, Peter Richards, George Gonzalez, sound sculpture, wave art, salvaged materials, PVC pipes

San Francisco’s Wave Organ captures the sounds of the sea to make haunting music

A symphony of strange and haunting music made from the waves can be heard at the tip of a jetty in San Francisco....

Hastings Pier by drMM architects, Hastings Pier RIBA Stirling Prize, Hastings Pier Heritage Lottery Fumd, Hastings Pier renovation, salvaged materials in pier construction, British seaside pier architecture, reclaimed materials from a fire, multipurpose public space by the sea

Salvaged materials from devastating fire take new life in a British pier

A British seaside pier destroyed by a devastating fire in 2010 has made an incredible comeback in the hands of...

Park House Melbourne, Park House tenfiftyfive, Park House extension, modern Melbourne homes, beautiful Melbourne architecture, hydronic heating in modern homes, modern architecture recycled materials, tenfiftyfive Melbourne architecture

Gorgeous modern home makes stunning use of recycled and salvaged materials

Architecture studio tenfiftyfive paired modern luxury with sustainable and nature-centric design in their design...

Bunny Run Boat Dock by Andersson-Wise Architects, Austin boat dock, Lake Austin boathouse, contemporary Austin boathouse, reclaimed materials in boathouse,

Dreamy summer retreat built of salvaged materials sends eclectic vibes in Austin

Austin-based Andersson-Wise Architects designed a unique boathouse that blends into its surroundings and, according...

Westport Presbyterian Church restoration, Westport Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Westport Presbyterian Church renovation by BNIM, Westport Presbyterian Church fire, Westport Presbyterian Church Kansas City AIA award, renovated church architecture,

Historic Missouri church rises from the ashes with an eco-friendly twist

When the 2011 catastrophic fire ravaged the historic Westport Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, much of the church’s...

Cloud House by Matthew Mazzotta, Cloud House in Springfield, artful rainwater harvesting, rainwater art installation, environmental art in Springfield, Cloud House rainwater, Cloud House makes it rain,

Cloud House makes it rain on demand with creative water harvesting system

You won’t have to do a rain dance to make it rain at the Cloud House—sitting in one of its rocking chairs should...

Chi She by Archi-Union Architects, Chi She art gallery, Chi She in Shanghai, Archi-Union Architects in Shanghai, Shanghai art gallery architecture, robot masonry fabrication, buildings constructed by robots, Fab-Union robot construction

Robots construct an art gallery in Shanghai from recycled gray bricks

Archi-Union Architects have completed an unusual art exhibition space in Shanghai with the help of robots. Created...

shovel art, shovel head art, shovel head art by Denise Bizot, Denise Bizot artist, art made from junk, art made from found objects, recycled materials in art

Rusty shovel heads transformed into delicate lace-inspired sculptures

Artist Denise Bizot has a gift for breathing new life into an unexpected medium—rusted shovel heads. The New...

Canyon Barn by MW Works, barn renovation in Washington, Canyon Barn house, barn architecture holiday retreat, repurposed barn house, contemporary barn home, salvaged materials in barn renovation

Family renovates century-old barn into stunning modern home in Washington state

If barn living never appealed to you before, this renovated farmhouse in Washington may be what it takes to change...

Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects, Church Hill Barn in Suffolk, Church Hill Barn renovation, renovated barn building in Suffolk, farm building renovated into homes, barn transformed into modern home,

Decrepit farm buildings reborn into modern energy-efficient home in Suffolk

David Nossiter Architects breathed new life into a collection of decrepit farm buildings that had been laid to...

East Lawrence Passive House, East Lawrence Passive House by Studio 804, 1301 New York Street house, 1301 New York Street by Studio 804, sustainable architecture by Studio 804, Kansas University design/build, LEED Platinum houses in Kansas, Passive House certified houses in Kansas, Studio 804 LEED, Studio 804 Passive House, sustainable architecture Kansas

Kansas University students build net-zero home with LEED Platinum and Passive House certification

Most school projects don’t move past campus grounds, but that’s not the case for the works of Kansas University’s...

Saba Apartment by TDC Office, Saba Apartment in Tehran, Heravi Square Saba Apartment, green roofed building Tehran, drip irrigation using harvested rainwater

Green-roofed apartment block in Tehran uses recycled rainwater and reclaimed materials

Though the Saba Apartment’s sustainable elements are impressive, the building’s most eye-catching features...

The Upcyclist, James Gallelty, The Bower, Australia, Sydney, tiny house, tiny bedroom, tiny house movement, tiny houses, tiny homes, solar power, led lighting, space saving furniture, fold up bed, upcycling, reclaimed materials, salvaged materials

Australian Man Builds Tiny, Solar-Powered Retreat Using Almost 100% Recycled Materials

Galletly and The Bower realized early on that building a tiny house atop a 6x8 box trailer was nonviable, and so...

WeWork Yanping Lu by Linehouse, WeWork in Shanghai, WeWork Yanping Lu, WeWork Hunter Gatherer, coworking space in Shanghai, longtang modern architecture,

WeWork’s new coworking space in Shanghai features salvaged materials from the city’s past

Despite its cosmopolitan appearance, Shanghai still retains much of its historic architecture. Longtang (弄堂),...

wooden bike, wooden bicycle, bicycles, salvaged materials, sustainable bike, DIY bike, DIY building, bike design, hoopy, wooden widgets

The Hoopy is a bicycle you can build yourself out of recycled parts and wood

If you’re looking for an affordable, lightweight wooden bike that will get attention wherever you ride, the Hoopy...

Happen Films, Australia, Wurruk'an, Liam Culbertson, Rachel Newby, Tiny house, tiny home, tiny houses, tiny homes, recycled materials, recycling, build a home, home building, house building, DIY, do it yourself

Australian couple builds a tiny home in three months for $320

Liam Culbertson and Rachel Newby didn't have much building experience but that didn't stop them from constructing...

Manoj Patel, recycled materials, reader submitted content, recycled materials in discotheque, salvaged materials

Architect transforms scrap yard materials into a vibrant discotheque

Architect Manoj Patel transformed materials sourced from a scrap yard into a 2,101-square-foot discotheque. Made...

Dream/Dive Platform by Studio North, low-cost architecture made with salvaged materials, diving platform made from salvaged materials, Bobs Lake architecture

Dream/Dive Platform made from salvaged materials is the ultimate summer hangout

Created as part of a collaborative weekend project, the Dream/Dive Platform comprises a 64-square-foot timber base...

san jose, whole foods, whole foods market, green buildings, green grocery store, leed gold, off the grid, microbreweries, salvaged materials, reclaimed materials

San Jose’s new Whole Foods is one of America’s greenest supermarkets

The store is divided into two separate structures: a 27,000 square foot single-level grocery store and a 5,900...

Derek

8-year-old cub scouts build their own tiny house studio to raise funds

"I thought it'd [sic] not only be fun, but help them learn quite a bit by way of tool usage and re-using building...

barn-inspired architecture, barn-inspired home, salvaged materials, recycled materials, solar powered home, Northworks, Thistle Hill Farm, Squak Mountain Stone, The Rug Company

Old shabby barn is reborn as a stunning, near net-zero modern home

Built with a similar footprint to the original 19th century barn, the 4,500-square-foot Thistle Hill Farm home...

JK Brown, John Kennedy Brown, found artworks, salvaged materials, repurposed art, scrap metal art, scrap metal, Green Hand Sculpture, Green Hand Sculpture by JK Brown, scrap metal sculptures, welded art

Artist transforms scrap metal into incredible lifelike sculptures

Like other scrap metal art, Brown’s works take a considerable amount of time and skill to complete. His most...

Peter Bahouth, Airbnb, Airbnb rental, Secluded Intown Treehouse, treehouse, Atlanta, airbnb treehouse, magical treehouse, reclaimed materials, salvaged materials, antiques, short leaf pine

Live Out Your Fairytale Fantasy in This Dreamy Treehouse Airbnb in Atlanta

Peter Bahouth, former Greenpeace executive director and current executive director of the U.S. Climate Action Network...

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