TreeHugger has a great read today on an upcycled house. There is a lot going on in this article so be sure to read the entire post on TreeHugger.
One of the most misused words in the language is recycling. Reiner Pilz described what was really going on in 1994: “I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling- where old products are given more value, not less.” Bill McDonough picked up the term and has even just written a new book, the Upcycle.
In Nyborg, Denmark, Lendager Architects has built what they call the Upcycle House, “with the ambitious goal of being the first house build only from upcycled and environmentally sustainable materials.” I don’t think it is the first, and I don’t think they actually do it, but it gets awfully close.
Lendager defines upcycling:
Upcycling is a step beyond recycling, the materials are not just reused, but reused in a way where value and quality is added.
