6 Unbelievable Things People Built Using Junk

Although the world is full of amazing feats of engineering that have seen talented architects and builders create staggering structures, they usually do so using the best possible materials. Almost every single thing you have seen that has been built has been constructed using specially ordered materials.

That isn’t always the case though. Sometimes people get creative and use spare parts in little projects, such as building a shed or putting together a toy for children, rather than proper raw materials. In exceptional cases, people can go above and beyond small structures and build some truly stunning things with little more than junk.


6. Pepsi Shop

Enterprising workers in Nanjing, China, wanted to build a shop but didn’t have the money to buy expensive construction material. Instead, they used a collection of 100,000 Pepsi cans scavenged from the rubbish to create a strong, durable and inexpensive structure.


5. Windmill Generators

William Kamkwamba set about creating windmills in his Malawian village in 2009, helping the local population to generate their own electricity. In his home country, only 2% of the population has access to electricity but thanks to his efforts, the entire village has power to provide constant lighting and pump water. Kamkwamba built all of the windmills with parts found in local rubbish dumps.


4. Sleeper Cells

Suzanne Husky has created a number of tiny sleeper cells that act as small pods that people can use to relax in and even get a good night’s sleep. The pods come in a large variety of sizes and shapes, with some looking like hedgehogs or pineapples, and are built entirely out of recycled materials.


3. Floating Island House

Reishee Sowa built himself a floating island house that was capable of being towed to different locations. Most of the structure on the island itself was made out of discarded bamboo and plastic. However, in order to get it to float in water Sowa had to collect around 250,000 empty water bottles from the streets and trash cans.


2. Medieval Castle

Jim Bishop has been adding to his own private castle for almost 40 years. Using rocks from the surrounding areas, materials gathered from junkyards and second hand materials donated from people who no longer have any use for them, he has constructed a medieval fortress with towers that are over 250 feet tall.


1. Hotel

Created in Mexico, the TuboHotel is a unique structure that utilizes old sewage pipes. The decision to use old pipes was made so that the builders could construct the hotel quickly and cheaply, making affordable double rooms available to tourists.