Acclaim for the Reclaimed: 14 Cool Upcycled Architecture Projects

Upcycle House in Denmark by Lendager Architects

This home in Denmark by Lendager Architects not only uses recycled wood for its framing and glass bottles and newspaper for its insulation, but also incorporates reclaimed windows, bricks, laths and battens. The topper – literally – is a roof made of recycled aluminum beer bottles.

CPH Shelter: Portable Shipping Container Village

Copenhagen is an increasingly desirable place to live, but it’s also running out of space, especially for its university students. CPH Containers has an interesting solution in the form of a portable, affordable housing complex made of upcycled shipping containers which can be stacked into ‘villages’ with comfortable wood-lined interiors, gardens and rooftop terraces. Each unit has a central room made by cutting a 40-foot shipping container in half and pulling the halves apart to create a large living area flanked by two niches.

Hulking Recycled Metal Sauna by Raumlabor

Looking a bit like an elephantine mechanical alien, this sauna by Raumlabor is clad in recycled steel and features a shower room with walls made of glass bottles. It’s set over the water in Gothenburg’s Frihamnen port, accessible via a wooden bridge. The choice of materials references the area’s industrial heritage, which is increasingly disappearing as the city grows.

Feeringbury Barn Made of Old Farm Structures by Hudson Architects

Remnants of a 15th century farm find new life within the walls of The Feeringbury Farm Barn by Hudson Architects, an up cycled home in Essex, England. The wooden framing is from a barn, feed silos make up curving walls in the interiors and there’s even a hay manger set into a bedroom wall.

Vena Cava Winery in Spain Made of Old Boats

Boats from the nearby Ensenada port become cathedral-like roofs for the underground buildings of the Vena Cava Winery in Spain, which produces New World wines like Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, a fitting choice for both the location and the ethos of the organic winery.