How An Environmentalist Architect Made An Incredible House Out Of Garbage

Before the birth of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, pollution and litter plagued America. 

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Despite the obvious problems, architect Michael Reynolds saw an opportunity — making houses out of what he calls "garbage."

"These materials are indigenous to the entire planet," he tells Business Insider. "Everywhere you go, they're present." 

beer can house
Michael Reynolds built and lived in this house, made of beer cans, in the '70s.
Flickr/USNationalArchives

Click here see how Reynolds built his unique homes »

After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1969, Reynolds became a proponent of "radically sustainable" living. In '72, he built his first house, made almost entirely from beer and pop cans. 

Using a process Reynolds calls "earthship biotecture," a two-bedroom home, requiring about 70,000 cans, would cost $25,000 to $30,000 — 20% less expensive than traditional building at the time.

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"The beer can houses kind of started everything," he recalls. Reynolds now runs Earthship Biotecture, a global architecture firm focused on creating self-sustaining homes.

Documerica, a photo project in the 1970s from the newly established EPA, captured Reynolds' humble beginnings in Taos, New Mexico, the location of the first beer can houses.

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In 1975, Reynolds stood smiling in the New Mexico sun.

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He and his team built the Thumb House in Taos, New Mexico. Shown below, it's the first structure made almost entirely out of beer and pop cans. The curved walls allow the cans to support more weight, resulting in pie-shaped rooms.

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"The beer can idea started in the early '70s when they first started doing TV [broadcasts] about old steel cans being thrown all over the streets and highways," Reynolds says.

beer can house
Flickr/USNationalArchives

"I ended up using the cans as bricks," he says. "And it just kind of opened up the door."

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But constructing an entire house required many more cans than just litter could provide — about 70,000.

beer can house
Flickr/USNationalArchives

Source: Documerica

In a time before widespread recycling, Reynolds and his team visited local businesses for materials. "We'd just go to a bar and ask, 'What do you do with your cans?'" he says.

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"That's the way it is in nature," Reynolds says. "There's a use for everything."

beer can house
Flickr/USNationalArchives

Reynolds calls these houses a "very low-tech, low-skill way to build." Since his first house, Reynolds and his team often travel to developing countries to teach his methods.

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Initially, he and his team created makeshift bricks, like the one below, from beer cans. Made of eight cans, it weighs 14 ounces and cost 15 cents.

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

Source: Documerica

Then, they mortared the blocks to form walls.

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But Reynolds soon realized they could use the cans as-is. The air inside, along with foam sheets, acts as an insulator, keeping the structure energy-efficient.

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

Using the new method, he and his team could also place the cans closer together.

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Even within finished walls, cans stay visible, creating a unique aesthetic.

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

Like all houses, the structure began with support beams. It looked like a normal construction site.

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Minus all the empty cans.

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

"People are recognizing these things are natural resources," Reynolds says, "that garbage can be useful and beautiful."

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Flickr/USNationalArchives
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Reynolds even patented his brick design in 1973.

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Source: United Stated Patent Office

Aside from the foundation, Reynolds used other "garbage" for portions of the house, like bottles as stained-glass windows.

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He continued making houses, calling the practice "earthship biotecture."

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

Source: Earthship.com

Roof-lawns on some houses let residents grow much of their own food.

beer can house
Flickr/USNationalArchives

Source: Documerica

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But the insides of the homes look entirely normal — and inviting.

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The owners of this one said the foundation seemed solid and that the house's functions worked well.

beer can house
Flickr/USNationalArchives

Source: Documerica

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Reynolds even lived in one of his creations, shown below.

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Flickr/USNationalArchives

He slept in this room, modeled after the Great Pyramids, and kept a journal of his experiences.

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Today, Reynolds runs Earthship Biotecture, a sustainable architecture firm founded on the same principles as the can houses. "The buildings are completely self-sustaining," he says.

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"Michael Reynolds" by Gavin Anderson from Brunswick, Australia

"Earthships," like this design in Phoenix, heat and cool themselves naturally, produce their own electricity, collect their own water from rain and snow, treat their own sewage, and grow a significant amount of their own food.

Earthship Biotecture
Courtesy of Earthship Biotecture
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At this point, Reynolds and his team have built a few thousand earthships in almost every country around the world. Celebrities like Dennis Weaver have even commissioned Reynolds to build them million-dollar homes.

Earthship Biotecture
Courtesy of Earthship Biotecture

"It's a structure that will absolutely take care of you without any infrastructure," Reynolds says. "And in today's day in age, that's in high demand."

Earthship Biotecture
Courtesy of Earthship Biotecture
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"Tiny houses" also contribute to the growing movement of sustainable architecture.

Tiny House 1
Kevin Hoth

Take a tour of one here »

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