Design/Build Firm Unveils First Home Constructed From Upcycled Agricultural Waste

Danish design/build firm Een til Een says it has constructed the world’s first “biological” house, a building made from recovered grass, straw, seagrass, and eco-treated wood.

The firm says the Biological House is a modern, sustainable, and modular housing concept with a specific focus on materials, indoor air quality, and unique design. Built primarily from upcycled residual products from the agricultural industry, including grass, straw and seaweed—products that would normally be considered waste and burned for energy—the house diverts the environmental impact that burning them would cause, the company says.

 “It’s been a long project, and we have all certainly learned a great deal over the course of planning and construction,” says Een til Een CEO Kim Christofte. “It has been a pleasure to watch the team find so many clever solutions to the problems encountered along the way, and we are delighted to finally open the doors to share this unique house with the public.”

The Biological House is loaded with innovative products and technology.

Instead of a traditional concrete foundation, the building sits on screw piles, which are typically used for building deep foundations and are installed with minimal noise and vibration. “This type of foundation enables the house to be moved and rebuilt in another location, either in its original form or as part of an entirely new design,” the firm says.

The house also features products from Novofibre, Horn Group, Thermocell (wood-based insulation), Derbigum, Rheinzink, and Kebony (eco-treated softwood).

Tomato stems and wood chips are the basis for the composite boards that were used to build the house. What’s more, Een Til Een used digital manufacturing and production technology so that the home can be quickly assembled and disassembled.

The company says the house is an example of how to build affordable, healthy, and sustainable.