In waste there is beauty

Casa PouBelle is a nineteenth century working class house that is mainly renovated with waste materials, leftovers and recycled elements, combined with several technological applications.

The house has become a three dimensional book that often contains critical stories about the way we consume , use energy and think about sustainability.

Casa PouBelle shows in its own way how the past (conservation) and the present (technology) can merge in a simple but eclectic architectural sobriety with ecology and sustainability as starting points and creativity as the omnipresent underlying factor.

Every element of the house and also its furniture, tells a particular story about consuming, waste culture and recycling.

The name of this house has not been chosen randomly. Very often material considered as waste by the consumer still has a lot of potential for functional and aesthetical reusing.

As designer and creator of this project I would finally like to draw attention to the decrease of appreciation for handwork and handicraft activities, both essential elements for the reintroduction of a real Cradle to Cradle cycle.

Stefaan Onghena, March 2011