ABSTRACT
The Waste House also aimed to prove that under-valued so-called waste material has potential to become a valuable resource and therefore prove ‘that there is no such thing as waste, just stuff in the wrong place’. Old floppy discs are also being used in the wall cavities, while 10 tonnes of chalk, destined for landfill, creates a rammed chalk wall, with help from a compressor and pneumatic rammer. Heavy material such as rammed earth can contribute to the overall energy efficiency of buildings by storing heat until it is needed. The design team then specified a lightweight ply box construction system using 12mm ply sheet. The roof was finished in an array of solar tiles, creating electricity and hot water for the underfloor heating system. These solar panels were some of the first to be fully integrated into a roof and form the actual waterproof layer.
