Big Dig House by Single Speed Design

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Boston’s Big Dig, an ongoing traffic rerouting project through the heart of downtown, has produced all manner of discarded infrastructure since it’s commencement in 1991. Cambridge architecture firm Single Speed Design conceptualized and built this home that repurposes nearly 600,000 pounds of that material. Nearly all of the steel and concrete used in the structure of the 4,300 square foot Massachusetts home came from a dismantled portion of the I-93 highway. Using predetermined structural elements forced Single Speed Design to plan extensively, particularly when considering how to keep the home at a human scale. The massive steel structure and concrete piers are strong visual forces on the home’s exterior, but it manages to remain distinctly residential and inviting. The load bearing capacity of the home’s structure allowed the owners to implement extensive gardens on all of the flat roof surfaces. Most importantly, this project demonstrates how material salvaged from public works projects can be repurposed and given new life. Single Speed Design points out that these high-strength materials could easily be implemented in large-scale, public use buildings such as schools and libraries.

See more images of the Bid Dig House after the jump.