Buzz
Some assumptions about building materials are deeply ingrained. Typically, we imagine structures being made from a narrow selection of conventional resources like bricks, mortar, wood, and stone. However, uniformity can be monotonous, and thankfully, there are innovators who explore unconventional options. Below are ten extraordinary or unexpected materials used in construction. [NOTE: This list includes a unique competition—check out the final entry.]
10. The Ice Hotel
In Jukkasjärvi, a village in Sweden located within the Arctic Circle, an entire hotel made of ice is constructed annually. Each room features intricate ice carvings as artistic displays. Even the beds are crafted from ice blocks, topped with reindeer skins for comfort. During the summer months, when the hotel melts, guests can still experience the icy ambiance by staying in freezer-maintained ice rooms. Due to water's high specific heat capacity, melting ice requires a significant amount of energy.
This unique property enables the construction of diverse structures, ranging from humble igloos to majestic palaces, using ice. Remarkably, ice possesses significant strength. An even more ambitious ice structure was envisioned by Saparmurat Niyazov, the eccentric president of Turkmenistan. He commissioned an ice palace near the capital, a feat made more extraordinary by the region's average temperatures, which are considerably higher than those in the Arctic Circle.
9. Buddhist Beer Temple
The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in Thailand is built using one million glass beer bottles. The temple's decorative mosaics are crafted from beer bottle caps. The combination of brown and green glass creates intricate patterns within the temple walls. These glass walls provide privacy while allowing a soft, diffused light to illuminate the interior spaces.
The monks behind the temple aimed to emphasize the issue of wasteful consumption and the potential to transform discarded materials into something beautiful. While glass is too fragile to support an entire structure, the temple features a concrete core to bear its weight.
8. Home Constructed from an Airplane
Numerous homes are crafted from repurposed structures, such as decommissioned water towers or old train carriages. Among these, houses built inside converted airplanes stand out for their impressive scale and whimsical charm. Airplanes, designed to be durable, make surprisingly effective buildings. Their exteriors are sturdy and weather-resistant, while their interiors become spacious once seats and storage areas are removed. Another advantage is the affordability of purchasing a retired passenger jet.
Retired planes, often valued only as scrap metal, can be acquired at very reasonable prices. Given the benefits of using converted planes as homes, several companies now specialize in this niche. What seems unusual today might become more commonplace in the future.
7. Tires
Every year, millions of tires are discarded. Surprisingly, they make an excellent building material due to their durability and abundance. Tires can be stacked to form walls, much like bricks. To ensure stability, they are typically filled with materials such as clay. Numerous homes have been constructed using this innovative method.
Rubber's excellent insulating properties make buildings made from tires energy-efficient, reducing heating and cooling costs. For those concerned about fire hazards, the risk can be mitigated by coating the tires with plaster or concrete.
6. Petrified Wood
Wood stands as one of the most ancient building materials, valued for its strength, flexibility, renewability, and affordability. It was the primary choice for our ancestors. For those who desire a traditional yet stone-like durability, petrified wood offers a unique solution. This fossilized wood, from trees that perished millions of years ago, has been utilized in various constructions.
In Lamar, Colorado, a car dealership office is constructed entirely from chunks of petrified wood. The town of Glen Rose, Texas, experienced a surge in petrified wood construction during the 1920s after the discovery of numerous fossilized trees. Today, the town is home to a Creationist museum, though it is presumably not built from wood that fossilized millions of years ago.
5. Plastic Bottles
As resources grow scarcer, recycling materials like plastic bottles is becoming increasingly popular. These bottles are not only inexpensive but also excellent insulators. The air trapped inside sealed bottles provides effective thermal insulation, helping to regulate indoor temperatures. Additionally, plastic's resistance to biodegradation ensures long-lasting walls. This innovative approach isn't limited to small homes in developing countries; in Taiwan, an entire exhibition hall was built using recycled plastic bottles.
In many third-world countries, low-cost homes are often constructed from corrugated metal, resulting in dim and uninviting spaces. The only source of light is typically the open doorway. To address this, the 'Liter of Light' initiative repurposes plastic bottles to bring natural light indoors. By cutting a hole in the roof and inserting a plastic bottle, sunlight is diffused into the home, providing illumination for those who cannot afford electricity.
4. Newspaper
In 1922, Elis Stenman embarked on a unique project: building a house entirely from newspaper. Except for the wooden frame, every part of the house is constructed from rolled and varnished newspapers. The paper offers excellent insulation, while the varnish prevents the structure from disintegrating. Stenman even crafted the furniture using donated newspapers, showcasing the versatility of this unconventional material.
Stenman's motivation for this project was strikingly modern—he aimed to draw attention to society's wasteful habits and the potential of repurposing discarded materials.
3. Corn Cobs
This structure is currently a prototype and not suitable for living. It consists of a wooden frame filled with dried corn cobs, designed to create an affordable and eco-friendly home. While the architects succeeded in keeping costs low—wood and corn are inexpensive materials—they are still working on solutions to prevent rain and wind from penetrating the building.
The primary advantage of this construction is its use of entirely renewable materials. Additionally, it could double as a convenient popcorn source for movie nights.
+ Lego
Who hasn’t tried building a Lego house as a child? Most of our creations probably didn’t grow taller than a few inches. However, James May, known for Top Gear, took it to the next level by constructing a two-story Lego house fit for actual habitation. It even included a functional toilet, though I’d be skeptical about its plumbing. The entire project required over three million Lego bricks.
The construction process is captured in the video above. Sadly, after completion, the house was dismantled because no one claimed it. The millions of bricks were eventually donated to charity.
2. Salt
Salt was once so scarce in Europe that it was used to pay soldiers, giving us the word 'salary.' In Bolivia, vast salt flats make the material abundant. Building a salt house in Europe would be impractical, as salt dissolves in water, meaning the first rain would wash the walls away.
In the arid, high-altitude deserts where salt flats are found, there’s no risk of rain dissolving structures. A unique hotel has been built using blocks of salt extracted from these flats. Assembling the salt bricks is remarkably simple—just moisten the edges and press them together to fuse. Similar to the ice hotel mentioned earlier, this hotel is entirely made of salt, including the furniture. Seasoning your meal at the dinner table would be effortless.
1. Mammoth Bones
Replicating a mammoth bone structure today would be prohibitively expensive due to the extinction of mammoths. However, during the late Pleistocene, our ancestors had an abundant supply of mammoth bones. They dug circular pits and used the large bones to construct walls, which were then lined with mud and likely covered with leather from the same animals.
Today, only the bone walls remain, but these structures likely resembled teepees, with a conical shape and a roof opening to allow smoke from the heating fire to escape.
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[Winner]: The winner is Caleb, who commented, “I’m amazed at how many high-quality lists LordZB can produce in such a short time. Great job!” Congratulations!
