Theater Made From Recycled Pallets by Oudendijk and Korbes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 6.08
Have we mentioned that we love pallets?
This theatre in Amsterdam was designed out of them by Denis Francois Oudendijk and Jan Korbes, known to TreeHugger for his Garbage Architecture. ::Wrongdistance via ::Cribcandy
There are few building materials more ubiquitous than pallets; see our roundup of designs made from them:
Recycling Pallets into Art and Architecture
Pallet-House: Modular Refugee Housing
Pallet-House System – Triangular and Cubic Dwelllings
Oudendijk and Korbes also collaborated on this lovely garden shed/ home office made from " Car tires from a local garage, Wood from the former garden house on location, Wood plates from a local art, Old wooden furniture found on the streets, Isolation glass from a nearby bankrupted glass, Stainless steel restaurant plates"
"Our client was in need of additional space, facing a 2nd child to be born. We proposed to carefully break down the existing chalet-style garden house, re-using its materials and rebuild a bigger, more functional and efficient structure." ::MilleGomme
Other sheds from recycled materials:
Shed of the Year Announced: The Rugby Pub : TreeHugger
Friggebod - The Traditional Garden Shed Made Green : TreeHugger
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Foster + Partners Green Building in Buenos Aires: The Aleph
- An Earthquake-Ready School for China (Just Add Cardboard Tubes)
- So Long 2008, and Thanks for All the Posts
- Islands in the Gyre from Michael Barton
Brazil May Restrict Ethanol Plants in One of the World’s ‘Most Spectacular’ Wetlands
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Weeds Season Three Goes Green: A DVD Review
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These pallets are often made of oak, which will last for centuries. I always want to go around on garbage day and break a couple up. They are certainly big enough to make side tables and picture frames from.
In related news: Fire Marshall's head explodes when he sees funeral pyre being used as a theater. (Perhaps there is a fire retardant that is good enough to render them safe, but I don't think Treehugger would like it, they are generally nasty chemicals.)
A palette by itself is just wood. Stacked palettes are insanely dangerous. Years ago I saw a large palette heap that burned near a steel building. I can't even estimate how high in the sky the flames reached and the walls of the steel building 40 feet away melted away and hung down to the ground in huge drapes.
(They are also mean. They account for a huge portion of industrial ankle injuries. People stand them on edge, and then the palette falls over.)
They are a good source of small pieces of tough wood if you are willing to expend the effort to tear them apart when they are worn out.
Just last summer I built a stage out of pallets and 3/4 inch plywood for a green production of Shakespeare. This is not an ideal support structure for a stage, it has a lot of bounce and flex and is not easily supported. the stage required constant maintenance and sound suppression was a nightmare.
I would also point out that if this were replicated in the US, the first time someone's foot fell between the slats on the public seating, there would be a major law suite.
It looks nice though.
Whilie you guys are right that pallets on their own are not appropriate for seating or for steps, or whatever, you should not presume that that is all he did. It would not take much to provide the bracing required to make them more rigid....the idea still has merit, don't jump to conclusions.