Since launching the first ‘WasteBasedBrick’ in 2015, StoneCycling has doubled down on its mission to produce the next generation of circular building materials. Earlier this year, the Dutch start-up joined forces with StudioMixtura to develop a new collection of glazes using waste materials from the steel and iron industry. The results are six unique colours—ranging from a deep berry blue to a soft saffron yellow—that can be applied to both façade and interior wall claddings.
‘Metallurgical by-products usually have very limited reuse,’ explained the team in a statement. ‘Millions of tonnes of these materials are released every year worldwide. With these aesthetic and colourful glazes, we show the potential value of these types of waste streams.’ As of today, the glazes are available as finishes on StoneCycling’s line of bricks and slips made using debris from construction and demolition projects in the Netherlands. Eventually, the goal is to create 100% circular bricks that are functional as well as beautiful, helping people to imagine waste as ‘a fully-fledged raw material of the future.’
GLAZES IN USE
If you live in the Netherlands, you can already see these surface designs up-close. This summer, ‘WasteBasedGlazedBricks’ were used for the first time in a sustainable renovation project for the Museum van Bommel van Dam in the city of Venlo. Various colours were used on interior surfaces inspired by the typical folding line pattern of envelopes: a direct link with the museum’s history as a former post office. In total, StoneCycling estimates that a total of 546 kilograms of waste—including glass waste sourced from local factories—were upcycled for the project, which opened its doors last September.
Next, StoneCycling and Studio Mixtura are exploring the viability of large-scale production. With some luck, we may be seeing more waste-based interiors very soon.
To learn more about the project, visit stonecycling.com or studiomixtura.com.
All images: StoneCycling & Studio Mixtura.