In this artwork, how is the History discussed?
Bottle wall construction is the process of building a structure, usually housing, with glass or plastic bottles and binding material. This sustainable building type helps reduce the chances of bottles being dumped at landfills and promotes the reuse of "waste" material. Its benefits range from aesthetic style, low cost of production to renewable architecture and sustainability[ii], carrying out the three steps of effective waste management; reduce, reuse, and recycle. Bottle house construction has been present since ancient Rome, the very first was constructed by William F. Peck in Tonopah, Nevada. At the time these houses were not constructed for aesthetic purposes like they are today, they were appreciated due to their ability to reduce the load of the upper levels of houses & reduce the amount of concrete needed. The building was made with 10,000 bottles of J. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters, medicine bottles that were initially reused by being refilled with glop and resold by shady dealers. The demand for this type of vernacular architecture arose due to the short supply of construction materials and the rising population levels in the area. Peck took it upon himself to construct these buildings to tackle the housing demand-supply issue in the town, using mortar as a binding element, lime as an interior finish and the bottles as insulators to keep the homes warm in the harsh winter.
waste management insulators Bottle wall vernacular architecture