eichelberger architects
Research Structure #1 (Trash Barn)
“If Doug's concept of using mixed waste paper bales becomes acceptable for some types of construction, we won't need as many landfills in the future. Plus, we won't consume the resources associated with conventional building material. Doug just might have discovered an inexpensive building material for tomorrow's construction.”
– David R. Powelson
President of TRI-R Systems
1992 – baled paper and plastic barn / studio
Modern consumers use and discard huge quantities of trash that can be recovered and reused before shipment to landfills. When this structure was conceived, designed, and built, many paper and plastic products could not be economically recycled. Thus, I created what has been called my “Trash Barn.”
Structure features
- Load-bearing paper baled walls on baled plastic bottle foundation
- Bale weight: 1800 pounds
- 80 tons of material diverted from landfills
- Bale size: 4’ x 3’ x 3’
- Assembly: forklift
