13 November 2008

The house that maps built

London-based architects, Amenity Space, have received international praise for their unique recycled building blocks made entirely out of disused maps.

The Map Compression Block – which stacks maps on top of each other to create a heat efficient and strong building brick – was honoured at the San Francisco Urban Re:Vision Awards.

The award recognised the project’s innovative approach to producing an eco-friendly and sustainable building material.

Nicky Kirk, a Director at Amenity Space, comments: “We are truly delighted to win this award, especially given the quality of the other entries.

"The project began when we started talking to Ordnance Survey about recycling some maps they'd printed for a Royal Institute of British Architects event; the building block idea really grew from there. The bricks we’ve created not only have greater density than a 250-mm thick concrete block but also have similar strength."

The project works by drilling holes through the centre of each map, which is then placed over a series of steel rods fixed to a timber rail. The sides are then clad with a fire and waterproof layer and the maps compressed until they make up a solid panel.

Gill Blake, from Ordnance Survey’s marketing department, comments: "Maps are incredibly versatile, but we never expected someone to turn them into building blocks! This is a great example of recycling in action, and I’d like to congratulate the Amenity Space team for having their work recognised with this award.

"I look forward to perhaps one day visiting the first map-made building!"

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Senior Communications & PR Officer - Paul Beauchamp

Email: paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2568

Communications Officer - Pauline Hand

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