We were introduced to the RPRA through SDI Design and Cresa Management. The timeframe for construction of the 5,500 square foot facility was accelerated, but these days, that’s not all that unique. What made this project an interesting learning experience was that the build leveraged as much recycled content as possible.

Of course, incorporating lesser known materials can lead to a fantastic design effect, and the RPRA and its design partners had some extremely novel ideas. The front reception wall was made of recycled tetra packs. The flooring was a mix of cork and composite recycled rubber. The light fixture was constructed with recycled fluorescent tube lights. Countertops were designed with recycled glass and reclaimed wood. Perhaps less obvious, but still critical to the design concept, the paint and drywall were all recycled.

While from a philosophical perspective these materials were completely aligned with the RPRA’s mission, in the real world, we needed to ensure they could be installed efficiently and perform effectively.

For instance, recycled paint tends to be thin. (Think painting your walls with watercolour, and you’ll get the idea.) So you need to consider the number of coats and how that fits into the timeline. The flooring was a special order so lead times became an issue.

And that tetra pack wall? Amazingly cool in photos – but weighed a small tonne when it arrived. So how do you mount that securely?

To mitigate, the Edify team needed to do our research and secure all the necessary documentation so that we can prove what it is we’re installing. Close collaboration with the trades is always critical, but even more so in a project like this, because everyone on the team needed to understand what materials we were using clearly.

Because we took this proactive, collaborative approach, we managed to get RPRA into their space within their initial timeframe – and we’re even happier to report that the tetra pack wall isn’t going anywhere! Simply stated, when you’re working with one-offs, careful coordination becomes a critical part of the design-build. You get a product with no warranty, no manual, and no instructions. As they say in materials and methods courses, the application is as critical as the material selection – it’s nice to have a picture, but if you don’t have a picture hook to hang it with, it just becomes something on the floor.

Lesson learned
When working with recycled materials, be sure to research the product thoroughly and familiarize yourself with potential issues like customs, timelines, installation, and quality.

Something that’s recycled may not have the same integrity, as we experienced with donated paint. So you’ll need to factor in questions like how many coats of paint are going to be required. If that paint is donated, can you go back later and match it? Because sometimes you can’t.

Cork flooring may be an eighth of an inch thick – so as soon as anybody walks on it with high heels, it’s going to start leaving impressions. Are you going to be okay with these imperfections?