Hurricane-proof house made from over 600,000 recycled plastic bottles

This eco-friendly building is capable of resisting a Category 5 hurricane

Spotted: JD Companies, a Canadian construction firm owned by David Saulner and Joel German, has built its first beach house concept. It is made from 612,000 recycled plastic bottles and is capable of resisting strong winds up to 326 mph, which is similar to a Category 5 hurricane. 

The project took place in collaboration with Armacell, an Ontario-based firm that created the wall paneling using PET (polyethylene terephthalate) core-foam green technology. It is made by melting recycled plastic bottles into small beads. The panels provide exceptional durability, insulation and can be assembled onsite within a couple of days. It is now being used as a demo house and as a holiday rental to verify its durability over time. The company’s goal is to build houses that are economically sustainable yet modern and simple.

“Our idea isn’t to make custom homes for couples looking to build a new dream home,” Joel German told New Atlas. “Our goal is to get in line with projects that allow for volume sales – smaller dwellings, shelters, sheds, offices, sleeping barracks. Disaster relief shelters are definitely on our radar.”