RUIT
GLASSFOAM TILES MADE FROM WASTE GLASS
A material research project exploring the potential added value of using residual flows
3rd Bachelor Productdesign
LUCA School Of Arts, Genk
2021 - 2022
In collaboration with
PXL-MAD School of Arts Hasselt, Ilse van Roy
This research project titled 'RUIT' explores the potential added value and future possibilities of glass residual streams within design. Through material experimentation, it investigates the potential of glass waste to form glass foam, a light and strong material created by adding lime to glass. The technical properties of glass foam have already been extensively researched. For that reason, this research project focuses particularly on exploring the aesthetic possibilities that glass foam can offer for design.
The project combines waste glass with a layer of coloured glass. The higher sintering temperature of waste glass and the lower melting temperature of coloured glass, opens up the opportunity of bringing together glass foam and molten glass within one design. RUIT capitalises this new aesthetic within the concept of colourful tiles.
A tile collection made from waste glass
Glass as a material has a green image. It is reusable and perfectly recyclable. However when recycling glass, we are faced with a certain volume of industrial waste streams. A residual stream is a large amount of material that cannot be recycled and at worst is dumped in a landfill. After all, not every type of glass can be recycled. Think about heat-resistant glass, glass contaminated with heavy metals or glass contaminated by clay, stone or porcelain. Knowing glass will take millions of years to biodegrade, glass waste is a current problem.
Not only is the residual flow converted into a useful application, the tile collection opens op the possibility to creating a circular building material. Current tiles consist of ceramic material with a layer of glaze (which is also a type of glass). Thus, we have a mixture of two materials that cannot be separated after use. This makes tiles - like many building materials - non reusable or recyclable. Thanks to the fact that the tiles are made entirely of glass, at the end of their life cycle, they can be crushed and reused to form glassfoam tiles over and over again, thus closing the circle.
