Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the "brick that holds beer" was ahead of its ecodesign time, letting beer lovers and builders alike drink and design all in one sitting. Mr. Heineken's idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he had witnessed on the islands.
Make it more useful: There's no law saying that a beer bottle must only be used to hold beer. What other products could be more useful with only a few design tweaks.
Design for life after death: The WOBO is not just coincidentally used as a brick, it's designed to be used as a brick. The bumps and divots create more sheer strength when combined with mortar and nesting neck/dimple design creates a strong interlocking structure.
Maximize recycled, recyclable, renewable, and biodegradable materials: Glass is very chemically durable and, when designed properly, can be extremely strong. It also has a robust recycling infrastructure in most countries around the world. So if it doesn't end up living a second life in its first form, it can be melted down and reformed again and again.
