What do Barney, Betty, Bamm-Bamm and Dave Hakkens have in common? First, think about the three names as a unit and then add in Fred, Wilma and Pebbles for fun. You might be fed up and baffled by the the Flintstones being the answer to my questions upon seeing a terrazzo flooring image, but be patient. The Rubble Floor by Dave Hakkens is no run-of-the-mill flooring by a Flinstones fan –  it was created using a demolished house or two.

Rubble Floor. Designed by Dave Hakkens.

The Rubble Floor Combines Materials from Old Buildings to Create New, Beautiful Flooring by Dave Hakkens

“Usually when a building/bathroom/shed etc. is being demolished a completely new one takes over its place,” writes The Netherlands-based designer, Dave Hakkens. “This is done without leaving any trace of what has been there before, perhaps a little picture on the wall but that’s it. I was interested in using the materials from the old building in the new one.” Looking similar to an italian terrazzo floor that is made up of marble, quartz, granite and glass by tradition, these Rubble Floors are made from waste comes from people’s homes.

“I did several tests with different materials and made a selection of which materials are possible,” begins  Hakkens again, discussing the pigments and functional aspects of various materials.”I used crushed bricks and roof tiles as a pigment. Between 20-30% of new cement is added to bind everything to one solid floor which can last 100th of years.” Hakkens discovered with time that by crushing some of the materials into a powder and sieving some of them, he could create a pigment to make multicolored bricks with unlimited building possibilities.

By using the ruins of other buildings, the result is clearly a green-friendly alternative to flooring that is produced in mass quantities and without originality.

About the Designer: Dave Hakkens uses a clever roadmap of ideas to write out his designer bio on his website. After including his place of birth (that is Valkenswaard), the well-known designer is understood for his outlandish yet inventive (and at times, ingenious) ideas that include how to play with color and material use as well as purely, more sensible options than are currently out in the mainstream market.