Retired airplanes have been making their way into the design forefront lately. Recently in the news was a California woman’s house which is made from recycled 747 airplane wings. The raw material of the airplane was bought at a bargain price and transformed into a creative sustainable design. Another interesting iteration of airplane repurposing is the aircraft hotel dubbed Vliegtuigsuite. The hotel room sleeps two in a modern design that takes advantage of the aircraft’s funky shapes.

Bio-Luminum. Manufactured by Coverings Etc.

Bio-Luminum, a recycled tile made from 100% recycled aircraft aluminum. The tiles are brought to us by Coverings Etc who is also responsible for green materials such as Bio-Glass and Eco-Terr. The post-consumer material is melted down into blocks which are then cut into 1/8” thick tiles, leaving the imprint of the saw cut on the finished product. One side of the tile’s edges are beveled while the others are left straight, allowing for flexibility in the finished aesthetic. The product is pure aluminum and has been given the Cradle to Cradle certification. Bio-Luminum can contribute to Leed in the categories of: Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Air Quality and Rapidly Renewable Resource Material. True to its origins, Bio-Luminum is a highly durable material that can be used as both a wall treatment and a high-traffic flooring.

Coverings Etc. is making a business out of closing the loop on all kinds of waste products. They see the thousands of airplane graveyards throughout the world as an opportunity to create an interesting product while cleaning up these “bone yards.” The waste sites are treated like modern day quarries where the aluminum is extracted and cut similarly to quarried stone. The energy used in recycling aluminum is 5% of what it takes to process raw aluminum.

Cost: $60 per square foot. Coverings Etc. 800-720-7814.