We have all stayed at rubbish hotels but this one is a little different, it’s a hotel made entirely out of rubbish.

The hotel is made up of approximately twelve tonnes of rubbish collected from Europe’s beaches. It has been built as an artistic method of raising awareness about the throwaway culture that we live in and to highlight the coastline’s worrying levels of pollution.

The hotel is located in the world famous tourist city of Rome and has been created by German artist HA Schult. The distinguished guest list of the hotel includes eco-warrior and Danish fashion model Helena Christensen.

Whilst this may be seen as a bit of fun by some, there is a very serious underlying message that we are ignorant about rubbish and resources. We currently consume far beyond the earths capacity of resources and at some point something must give.

To some extent the increased awareness of recycling has largely determined that our throw away lifestyles can be maintained safe in the knowledge that rubbish will be recycled. This fails to address the true underlying problems and the need to reduce our rubbish, where this is not possible then reuse should be preferential to recycling.

This is a value that BuilderScrap can assist with in relation to construction materials, we are always seeking to maximise the life cycle of products and resources by providing a platform to do so.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do everything we can to reduce the amount of consumption that we are currently inflicting on our planet, after all the earths resources are finite.

More from Draft Strategy for Sustainable Construction. At BuilderScrap.com we continue to publish extracts from this draft not only because it aligns with our goals but also the nature of feedback given is important to us.  Let us know what you think!

Q: Which of the proposed actions for business do you consider to be a priority? Why? What are the barriers to implementing this action and how might they be overcome? Who should take the lead in implementing this action?

1. Some respondents felt it wrong to focus on priorities since action was required across a broad front. Others suggested a single action. Some discussed the difficulty of appraising design quality.

2. The three top priorities identified by respondents were: early supply chain engagement or integration; greater demand for Design Quality Indicators (DQIs) and BREEAM; and for clients to drive the process. There was little comment on how contractors might promote the adoption of DQIs more effectively when this was primarily an issue for the client. There was an
important role for the public sector as client and scope for using better regulation to promote the uptake of BREEAM standards.

3. A number of respondents felt that more attention should be paid to the supply chain and the role of integrated teams rather than the client / designer relationship.

4. The continuing focus on initial cost rather than whole life value was seen as key. In the public sector, the distinction between capital expenditure and operational budgets characterised the issue. Lack of knowledge sharing between professions could result in “partial” advice and guidance.

Thank you to John Bone of HCD Building Control Ltd who has given us two new articles for the Resources page of BuilderScrap.

The articles put the requirements of Building Control Regulations into plain English. Take a look at the articles and see what you think.

If anyone would like to submit an article for consideration of addition to the website, please send them to rco@builderscrap.com