Architecture

Minimalist eco-home built from mining waste

Minimalist eco-home built from mining waste
Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) has recently completed a minimalist home built from mining waste
Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) has recently completed a minimalist home built from mining waste
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Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) has recently completed a minimalist home built from mining waste
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Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) has recently completed a minimalist home built from mining waste
Sustentable House was built in partnership with steel industry company Gerdau
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Sustentable House was built in partnership with steel industry company Gerdau
Sustentable House is a minimal 45-sq-m (484-sq-ft) eco-home
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Sustentable House is a minimal 45-sq-m (484-sq-ft) eco-home
The dwelling is part of a unique pilot program dedicated towards creating sustainable concepts that are linked to the mining industry.
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The dwelling is part of a unique pilot program dedicated towards creating sustainable concepts that are linked to the mining industry
Sustentable House features a minimal meals area with exposed cabling
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Sustentable House features a minimal meals area with exposed cabling
Rear entrance of Sustentable House
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Rear entrance of Sustentable House
The home is surrounded by curated gardens
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The home is surrounded by curated gardens
The Sustentable House is built using upcycled and mining waste building materials
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The Sustentable House is built using upcycled and mining waste building materials
Mining waste has ben transfoemed into building materials such as bricks, draining floors and mortar made from iron ore tailings
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Mining waste has ben transfoemed into building materials such as bricks, draining floors and mortar made from iron ore tailings
The home has been especially built to incorporate the generation of solar and wind power
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The home has been especially built to incorporate the generation of solar and wind power
Central bathroom features the basics
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Central bathroom features the basics
The final design of the Sustentable House features a simple yet modern floor plan, complete with open spaces
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The final design of the Sustentable House features a simple yet modern floor plan, complete with open spaces
Sustentable House features a stunning floor-to-ceiling glass wall
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Sustentable House features a stunning floor-to-ceiling glass wall
Keeping in theme with an industrial style kitchen
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Keeping in theme with an industrial style kitchen
The adjoining living area opens out onto the surrounding gardens
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The adjoining living area opens out onto the surrounding gardens
The interior design boasts a strong industrial edge, with exposed brickwork and industrial wiring throughout
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The interior design boasts a strong industrial edge, with exposed brickwork and industrial wiring throughout
External facade is built using bricks made from mining waste
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External facade is built using bricks made from mining waste
Basic storage and elements of the industrial style kitchen
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Basic storage and elements of the industrial style kitchen
The tiny home home also features a laundry
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The tiny home home also features a laundry
The compact home boats a second twin bedroom
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The compact home boats a second twin bedroom
Sustentable House master bedroom
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Sustentable House master bedroom
The home has been built to incorporate the generation of solar and wind power, solar water heating, rainwater collection and composting
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The home has been built to incorporate the generation of solar and wind power, solar water heating, rainwater collection and composting
The exterior facade and brickwork provides substantial shade across the day
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The exterior facade and brickwork provides substantial shade across the day
Sustentable House site plan by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
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Sustentable House site plan by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
Sustentable House floor plans by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
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Sustentable House floor plans by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
Sustentable House plans by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
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Sustentable House plans by studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A)
View gallery - 26 images

Brazilian architectural studio Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) in partnership with steel industry company Gerdau has recently completed a minimalist home built using mining waste. Dubbed Sustentable House, the 45-sq-m (484-sq-ft) dwelling is part of a unique pilot program dedicated to creating sustainable concepts that are linked to the mining industry.

“The pilot project is part of the environmental education equipment of the Gerdau Germinar Program which presents to the public new sustainability concepts applied to mining activity and the concept of circular economy in housing – one of Gerdau's social investment territories,” says Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados.

The exterior facade and brickwork provides substantial shade across the day
The exterior facade and brickwork provides substantial shade across the day

The Sustentable (Spanish for "sustainable") House is built using upcycled mining waste building materials that have been developed by Gerdau in collaboration with the Mining Engineering Department of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The teams have successfully created production processes that transform mining waste into building materials such as bricks, floors and mortar made from iron ore tailings.

“For the development of this technology and the execution of the work of the House, about 30 people have focused on solving this challenge that unites sustainability, education and quality housing,” says Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados.

The final design of the Sustentable House features a simple yet modern floor plan, complete with open spaces, floor-to-ceiling glass wall, master bedroom, second twin bedroom, central bathroom, laundry and modern kitchen with adjoining living area that opens out onto the surrounding gardens. The interior design boasts a strong industrial edge, with exposed brickwork and industrial exposed cabling throughout.

The adjoining living area opens out onto the surrounding gardens
The adjoining living area opens out onto the surrounding gardens

The floor plan and location of windows throughout the home allows for optimum air flow, while the exterior facade and brickwork provides substantial shade across the day. Furthermore, the home has been built to incorporate solar and wind power systems, solar water heating, rainwater collection, biodigesters and composting tanks.

The interior design boasts a strong industrial edge, with exposed brickwork and industrial wiring throughout
The interior design boasts a strong industrial edge, with exposed brickwork and industrial wiring throughout

The Sustentable House will be used as a case study at the Gerdau Germinar Bio center, acting as an educational tool and example of how the mining industry can contribute to sustainable technologies and eco-construction.

Source: Gustavo Penna Arquiteto e Associados (GPA&A) via Archdaily

View gallery - 26 images
5 comments
5 comments
Expanded Viewpoint
So what is the point of all this ballyhoo about upcycling the tailings from some mines, if they don't say just how it was done? Is it 25%, 50%, 75% and what processes are used? I just hope that the tailings aren't from an Arsenic or Uranium mine!! Back in the 1960s I think it was, some idiot had the idea of using tailings from an operation that was mining radioactive minerals in cement building blocks! Yeah, he got rid of the mountain of tailings the company didn't know what to do with, but they were still radioactive and were used in some homes!
neoneuron
Nothing like "Mystery Blocks" to build a home eh? But now in the US, we have Mystery Food. The USDA is being torn apart in the US..
ljaques
I think I'd like some finishing on those interior blocks, and certainly the wiring could go sub-surface. Add some plaster and carpeting and that place could rock. Add decking up top and sails between the uprights for shade and the place would be a vacationer's dream.
Gannet
Yeah, what they said. What waste? Toxicity? How is the waste packaged, just a bit of filler in with the concrete? Details, or it doesn't mean anything.
Fairly Reasoner
Mining waste is rock.