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This architect transforms old clothes into bricks

3 min read

Sustainable Planet
This architect transforms old clothes into bricks
Source: Instagram/fab.brick

French Architect Clarisse Merlet’s innovative approach to preventing waste, FabBRICK recycles textile waste into ecological and aesthetic bricks.

FabBRICK recycles textile waste into ecological and aesthetic bricks

Each brick uses about two to three T-shirts’ worth of shredded material. Apart from cotton, polyester, elastane, PVC, can be used in the process, and with a proprietary ecologically-friendly glue, these scraps are first mixed and then pressed into a mould which uses mechanical compression to form the bricks. While they can’t be used for construction, they are designed for structural purposes. Available in four different sizes, the company says the bricks are an excellent thermal and acoustic insulator, meaning that they work for room partitions, decorative walls in retail stores, and can also be used to make furniture such as lamps, tables, stools, and more.

This got her thinking: what if she could make use of the very same resources that have already been extracted for building? And so, FabBRICK was born, a company that develops decorative and insulative bricks out of old clothes. In April 2019, the company received support by closing a crowdfunding round of EUR€10,000 (approx. US$11,000) that was used to develop a brick machine to industrialise the production process.
In 2017, architecture student Clarisse Merlet was shocked to discover the tremendous amount of global textile waste, not to mention the horrendous amount of waste prevalent in the construction industry. This got her thinking: what if she could make use of the very same resources that have already been extracted for building? And so, FabBRICK was born, a company that develops decorative and insulative bricks out of old clothes. In April 2019, the company received support by closing a crowdfunding round of EUR€10,000 (approx. US$11,000) that was used to develop a brick machine to industrialise the production process. Source: Instagram/fab.brick

Thermo-acoustic bricks from otherwise unwanted materials

While she was a student in architecture, Clarisse Merlet, founder of FabBRICK, noticed how much construction is a polluting and energy-intensive industry, so she decided to find a way to build differently, especially with the use of raw material wastes such as plastic bottles, cardboard or plastic cups.

Then, Clarisse figured out that the textile industry was poorly considered regarding recycling this material which has relevant properties in the area of construction, knowing that cotton is considered as a powerful thermal and acoustic insulator. Then she had the idea of re-using discarded clothes by making it an innovative raw material. Based on the characteristics of the recovered textiles, she designed an ecological building material which is both a thermal and acoustic insulator. 

Sources: FabBRICK | GreenQueen

Apart from cotton, polyester, elastane, PVC, can be used in the process, and with an ecologically-friendly glue that Merlet developed herself, these scraps are first mixed and then pressed into a brick mould and without any human intervention in this process, the mould uses mechanical compression to form the bricks.
Each brick uses about two to three T-shirts’ worth of shredded material that Merlet purchases from a supplier in Normandy. Apart from cotton, polyester, elastane, PVC, can be used in the process, and with an ecologically-friendly glue that Merlet developed herself, these scraps are first mixed and then pressed into a brick mould and without any human intervention in this process, the mould uses mechanical compression to form the bricks. Source: Instagram/fab.brick
“We don’t yet know how we’re going to sell it, because it still has to pass a number of laboratory tests, notably fire tests, but the idea is to build some small furniture pieces and see how they work.” — Clarisse Merlet, Founder of FabBRICK.
In an interview with Novethic, Merlet showed a prototype of a brick made from shredded surgical masks that could help tackle the pandemic-related waste. “We don’t yet know how we’re going to sell it, because it still has to pass a number of laboratory tests, notably fire tests, but the idea is to build some small furniture pieces and see how they work.” — Clarisse Merlet, Founder of FabBRICK. Source: Instagram/fab.brick
FabBRICK can also personalise the colour of your wall with the clothes you decide to recycle.
According to the company’s website, “Since our creation at the end of 2018, we have already designed more than 40,000 bricks which represent 12 tons of recycled textiles. FabBRICK can also personalise the colour of your wall with the clothes you decide to recycle. Source: Instagram/fab.brick
FabBRICK has worked with the Parisian shopping center Galeries Lafayette for a handmade series, and with Vinci Construction to convert its own worksite uniforms into stools and lamps.
Merlet is the winner of the Faire Paris competition, Petit Poucet 2019, Start’in ESS 2019 and Prix Gabriel 2020. FabBRICK has worked with the Parisian shopping center Galeries Lafayette for a handmade series, and with Vinci Construction to convert its own worksite uniforms into stools and lamps. Source: Instagram/fab.brick
FabBRICK has worked with the Parisian shopping center Galeries Lafayette for a handmade series, and with Vinci Construction to convert its own worksite uniforms into stools and lamps.
Monochrome bricks can me made from one kind of material, such as denim blue jeans. FabBRICK has worked with the Parisian shopping center Galeries Lafayette for a handmade series, and with Vinci Construction to convert its own worksite uniforms into stools and lamps. Source: Instagram/fab.brick
This architect transforms used textiles into bricks Transforming used textiles into eco-friendly bricks. This is FabBRICK's approach to preventing waste. Brut nature met Clarisse, the architect behind this project. Source: Facebook/BrutNature
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For better or worse, recycling has firmly taken root in today’s society as a must-do. Many of us have a list, or at least an idea, of what can and can’t be recycled. And those that recycle also tend to enjoy doing their part to help the environment. As an environmentally motivated house clearance company, preventing the unnecessary addition of reusable materials to the waste stream is one of Clearance Solutions’ highest priorities, so we know this feeling well. What you may not know is that the condition of your donations will determine how your efforts pay off. Even widely recycled materials like aluminium, steel, paper and plastic can easily become contaminated and end up in a landfill site. To avoid wasting your time and good intentions, we present to you an updated guide on recycling correctly.