Zero-waste town builds pub from refuse

An architectural firm in the zero-waste town of Kamikatsu in Japan has designed a pub solely constructed from recycled materials.

The vision of Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, the eco-conscious Kamikatz Public House is built from repurposed windows and recycled cedar wood boards.

Kamikatsu in Tokushima prefecture is committed to zero waste, aiming to become a sustainable recycling society, and has already attained an 80% recycling rate by sorting waste into 34 categories.

The structure fully embraces the town’s commitment to zero waste, featuring an eight-meter-tall window wall assembled from abandoned houses, a bottle chandelier, newspaper ‘wallpaper’, and an exterior of reclaimed cedar boards coloured with naturally-derived persimmon tannin paint.

The firm scooped the World Architecture News Sustainable Buildings Award 2016 for the concept, which integrates a community shop that sells household sundries, food and beer, a brewery and a pub.