The castle’s exterior mixes architectural styles, including 13th-century French Gothic. / Photo by Michele Snow
He scoured Europe for architectural salvage, buying up archways, façades, windows, and wall panels from the rubble of World War I. These centuries-old artifacts were incorporated alongside new construction materials (including wood intentionally weathered with seawater for an old-timey look). The result so impressed John D. Rockefeller, an avid art collector, that the tycoon used it as a model for the Cloisters in New York—the only museum in the United States to exclusively showcase art from the Middle Ages
Source: Eccentric Inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. Built A Castle in Gloucester
Anyone building or renovating a home today will almost certainly be keeping energy efficiency in mind. According to the research that’s been done, approximately 40% of all raw materials used each year are used in building and construction. This amounts of over 3 billion tons of resources each year, and many builders and home owners are trying to do their best to reduce those numbers. When evaluating building materials, there are a lot of factors to consider, and this article should serve as an effective guide to understanding the different elements surrounding green building materials.
First and foremost, the product itself must come from a renewable resource or process. For example, recycled materials from demolished buildings, bamboo or straw, which are plentiful and rapidly renewable, or linoleum, which is inexpensive to manufacture.
via Identifying Green Building Materials » Greener Ideal.
Reclamation Administration: News and Research on Building Material Waste Prevention