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P.E.T Wall

P.E.T Wall
This was a group project done in my first year of architecture school. The objective of the project was to create a plane (floor, wall, ceiling, partition, anything planar really) out of used objects(our group happens to choose 2 litre PET soda bottles.....1200++ of them). I am not sure people would actually see this and replicate the whole thing,nevertheless i hope you will enjoy it
 
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Step 1Materials and tools

Materials and tools
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2 Litre PET soda bottles, a mixture of clear and green bottles.(we went dumpster diving for a few days to get all the bottles)

Hot wire for cutting foam (in this case used for cutting the bottles)

Some medite to make couple of jig

Hole saw drill bit that would make a hole just big enough for the mouth of the soda bottles

safety mask to protect yourself from the toxic fume when cutting the bottles with hot wire cutter
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72 comments
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Apr 5, 2012. 6:28 PMlinuxkid says:
wait, this isn't public art?
Aug 23, 2011. 12:16 PMLori04 says:
I'm making a lamp right now with pet bottles.. but I have too many so.. i might do something like this as well!! is an amazing idea!!! congratulations!!
Feb 15, 2009. 2:55 PMtdbtdb says:
How did you flatten the middles? Why is that not explained? Just put a brick on top?
Aug 1, 2011. 3:16 PMvirtualnoodles says:
Once he cut off bottom and "upper" he had a ring he did not cut this ring he simply squished it flat making a square which is kept flat by the bolts
Feb 15, 2009. 5:44 PMA good name says:
He didn't they're open if you look at the last pic.
Feb 15, 2009. 9:00 PMtdbtdb says:
Last pic of Instructable doesn't tell me anything new. Which pic are you talking about? In step three he mentions 'flatten' at least twice. Maybe it only has to be held flat during drilling? He has that nice picture of them stacked in a box, but could be they're not really flat, just jammed in. So, a non-issue? Or maybe you could reverse every other one in a checkerboard pattern and all the curves would cancel out?
Feb 16, 2009. 11:56 PMoooh,well,thatmadesomething says:
yeah melting polymers and releasing carcinogens, sounds like it doesn't pollute, but it does. we shouldn't equate this ible with recycling, not with the damage it has done to the earth. i'm just saying.
Feb 24, 2011. 4:13 PMalancj says:
BURNING plastics INCOMPLETELY (in a fire place or fire barrel for example) produces toxic gases. Simply melting the plastic does nothing other than make it liquid.

But a dust mask isn't going to do anything even if there were byproducts. Ok so molten plastic does stink, but it's not nearly the equivalent of burning it wholesale. Use a carbon impregnated mask is the smell is bothersome.
Feb 22, 2011. 7:33 PMGen R says:
Hi ,, how did you "flat" the bottle ???
Sep 12, 2010. 5:52 AMfairygodmother1 says:
The economy of the design is simply elegant. Beautiful project!
Jul 9, 2010. 1:46 PMHelcura says:
I'd bet you could make cool shoji screens with this technique.
Nov 2, 2009. 11:28 AMriverplate says:
Dear Dude!!

You had a great idea, way cool, very green idea!! Let me tell you why.
I live in San Diego, but I do have a huge building in Revolution Avenue, Downtown Tijuana, In Baja California, Mexico.
Tijuana recycles just about everything that San Diego throws away, and I do mean everything. We do have concerts in our small venue, in which we sell a lot of sodas in plastic containers. We thought of a wall, as a decorative for the huge building, but your application of use to these plastic bottles, is uniquely original. We are going to apply your creativity, we will give you full credit as the designer, we will give credit to instructables, and further more, if you have any more ideas please pass them along to us.
I am almost on the final concept of creating a large cover up to what it is an old facade for the second floor, utilizing recycle materials, that will also served as ventilation for that second floor, out of the moderate to strong westerly breezes from the Pacific ocean.
I want to make this building as green as possible from everything recycle, to promote in Baja California, "GREEN: ideas, concepts, construction that will make the city of Tijuana, and the state of Baja greener.

Thanks a lot!

 
Oct 1, 2009. 9:50 AMhandprints says:
absolutely beautiful piece of art!
Jul 29, 2009. 8:21 AMnaftalisus says:
Its beautiful! I think that hanging 4 panels, with one strung over the top would give you a very pleasing outdoor space, no? Looks like you've got a bright future in architecture!
May 19, 2009. 11:36 AMmlk09010 says:
how much do you think it would be to ship the pieces to VT?
May 2, 2009. 7:15 PMGEEK1 says:
interesting idea
Mar 20, 2009. 5:01 PMinkstainedheart says:
This is a really great idea--I need a separator for my apartment, but I'm going to try a less rippled effect. I think I'm going to drill holes in the corners instead and wire the pieces together. That way they can be suspended from the ceiling or a framework. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mar 14, 2009. 3:32 AMGorfram says:
Yowsa! This is so totally cool!!! Killer design!
The caps-&-mouths as nuts-&-bolts is absolutely stark raving brilliant!

Admittedly, I'd try for a more aethetically pleasing layout if I went to reproduce this; but it's this work of yours that shows that it can be done at all.

Applications might include an outdoor garden screen, to provide privacy or help baffle wind. The conical "pouches" you used to make it free-standing have inpired me: if I used only green bottles and cut the middle sections into nicely tapered trapezoids; this could make a really cool artificial Christmas tree, nicely decorated with brightly-colored bottle caps. :)

As to whether you poisoned yourself using the hot knife on the PET bottles, allow me to plagarize and plunder Wikipedia :

When PET degrades due to heating or burning, the only chemical given off (other than hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen) is acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is an organic chemical compound with a fruity smell. It occurs naturally in ripe fruit, coffee, and fresh bread; and is produced by plants as part of their normal metabolism. When you drink an alcoholic beverage, your liver converts the ethanol into acetaldehyde, which is then further converted into harmless acetic acid. Acetaldehyde is extremely flammable, but toxic only when applied externally for prolonged periods.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaldehyde)

So, assuming you didn't capture the acetaldehyde gas, convert it to liquid form, and use it as hand lotion; you probably didn't do yourself any harm. OTOH, if wearing the (yes, otherwise pretty well useless) mask kept you from lighting up any cigarettes while you were working, that may have helped minimize any fire danger (which was probably already pretty low anyway).

I'd take you up on that offer of those bottle parts in your basement, if Seattle weren't so inconveniently far from Chicago... :)

Feb 16, 2009. 9:37 PMLance Mt. says:
Dude, i love it! Really... -Cheers, Chris
Feb 13, 2009. 7:01 PMcree888 says:
I like it. It has an asthetic that shows creativity thru breaking of conventional rules of recycling. It could be used as a sheer curtain if all colored bottles were used. I think also it could be hung in some fashion and used as as shower curtain. Have to figure the problem of keeping water off the floor, however. How about using in place of glass when recycling old cabinetry? Endless possibilities. Thicker--perhaps a table. Melted together instead of screwed with bottle mouths some type of floor covering? Made into a shallow box frame add twinkle Lights and hang from the ceiling in a bar area. Like I said endless possibilities. You are only limited by color, construction type and size and whether or not you can think outside the people in the box thinking they are thinking outside the box. Creativity at its best, I say.
Feb 9, 2009. 6:08 AMbola_8611 says:
WOW it is awsomw what you did with thise bottles i am thinking about doing something like that there is a lot of bottles here in mexico
Feb 9, 2009. 1:13 AMRobertwan says:
Hmm... If you used a smallish blowtorch or welder or some similar small-flame maker, you could melt the edges of each square together and use less squares to cover more surface area. Also, if you hang it from the ceiling, you don't have to make the base.
Feb 7, 2009. 10:35 AMcrickle321 says:
Awesome instructable! My girlfriend would kill me if I tried making this in our apartment. Some fun could be had by making patterns with the green squares.
Feb 7, 2009. 7:22 AMpaulpcc says:
Hi its a good way to re-use the bottles. practical too (making use of what youve got) - btw what is the actual toxic fume that can be released? how rough are the edges? do they get smoothed off from using a hot cutter?
Feb 7, 2009. 7:23 AMpaulpcc says:
actually, from someone elses comment about being art etc, maybe someone can make a "stained glass window / mosaic effect - that would surely be an artistic way to reuse something :)
Feb 3, 2009. 6:47 AMkd1uc says:
I think it is quite ugly but I love the thought process. I think with some artistic flair it would make a cool barrier between rooms. Kind of like glass bricks. It lets though light but not clear images and patterns can be introduced like a mosaic. I'm always saving extra hardware but you have suggested a new source that had not occurred to me. That is the coolest part of this idea.
Feb 7, 2009. 4:43 AMkd1uc says:
I just wanted to reinforce that I love the concept and methodology. I think with a little artistic planning it would be a great work of art ae well as functional. I embrace the three 'Rs' with recycling being the last resort. The re-use concept is quite beautiful. Mostly because plastic does not recycle well, it's polymers are too stable so re-use is the only practical avenue. We your comment gave me a good smile this morning, thanks and keep the brain challenged.
Feb 6, 2009. 11:33 AMbeinglostatsea says:
Awesome job! Super impressed. I also live in chicago. What school are you going to?
Feb 3, 2009. 4:34 PMkaylalei says:
this is amazing! if only i had the patience and skill and time to make this... i'd build a house out of it! great job!
Feb 6, 2009. 5:59 AMkaylalei says:
you're probably right about the building thing. and as for the name thing, i wouldnt know...
Jan 30, 2009. 4:53 PMItsTheHobbs says:
Umm... wow.... you've definitely got my vote, great job, 5/5.
Jan 30, 2009. 6:36 PMjessyratfink says:
This is great! I wanted to do something like this, but I was only able to collect about 10 bottles because I don't drink out of them. :P This is much more advanced than my original plan!
Jan 30, 2009. 7:52 PMpeguiono says:
very sleek looking seems like something you would see in the art museum.
Jan 30, 2009. 8:53 PMDELETED_jorgegunn says:
I like this idea. i think it could be used as room dividers. Its kind of like Mr. Magoriums congreve cube we could possibly come up with a million things to do with it but what happens if we simply belive in it. Much more than art work it is the inovation itself that is appeazing. could this be made sturdier to support weight what is its stability. I def want to try and re-create please do as Kelseymh asks and include a bit more info. But youve got my vote
1-40 of 72next »

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