Alfred Heineken is a world class beer brewer. But it appears that besides his fame, he belongs to the category of generous creative minds ― as another Alfred (Nobel) was.
“As the story goes, Heineken was strolling along by the sea in Jamaica, and was shocked at the number of beer bottles littering the beach. He was also concerned with the lack of cheap building materials, and at the resulting living conditions for the poor. Putting two and two together, he envisioned a ‘World Bottle’ which would be imported for drinking but kept for construction,” said Vestal Design, who reminds the facts.
Unfortunately, the project was vetoed by the Heineken board.
But here at Cocolico, we found this idea darn truly brilliant. Glass is one of the most recyclable material in the world. Air ranks on the list of top insulator, for instance for houses. Plus a bottle wall would provide additional light to the house. And the two lifes of the product is part of what we like the most.
Even if Heineken died in 2002, the idea keeps living. Anyone tempted by one of those? (Click on the title of the post to switch to the comments)
Pete – August 2, 2006
I think that the bottles should be made in a shape in which they can be easily assembled into a wall, or whatever building element is necessary. For example, If they were made in a rectangle as is the common house brick they could be easily stacked and mortared.
Tut – August 7, 2006
That’s the first aim of those Heinenken bottles. But my concern is more about the resistance of those glass bricks. If they’re reused to build houses or walls, they need to get enough strength for that. And with some void inside, the structure could break apart. Unless people fill them with sand or mud.