Undoubtedly, it is impossible to spot an object around the room that does not contain a trace of steel– the bed, air conditioner, refrigerator, or chair to name a few. Steel is omnipresent in our lives, even away from the city and in summer vacation scenes. The truth is steel’s eco-friendly properties have primarily granted such boundless currency. Taking a closer look through common occasions of encountering steel will reveal its predominance and its worth for both humankind and the environment.

Recycling Reaches the Dining Table

The smell of baby back ribs and sausages rises from outdoor grills in the backyard of a home. It is the scent of summer barbeque party in a family home with some invited guests and neighbors enjoying the wait to feast. The man of the house thoroughly cooks the meat and veggies on the grill. On the outdoor dining table, there are plenty of canned food servings such as corn, green peas, baked beans, and even fruit to serve along with the grilled foods. As soon as the grilled meat and skewers are ready, the adults at the table open bottles of beer to celebrate the holiday season.

It is a common yet easily overlooked fact that most canned foods, jar lids, bottle caps we store our foods and beverages in are made from stainless steel. And not to mention the high-quality steel used to make the barbecue grills, an essential summer household item. Even the daily utensils like forks, knives, and spoons we use to cook and eat with are steel-made. Basically, these are ubiquitous yet necessary tools for us to last or even survive a normal day.

Once used and discarded, the steel scraps are easily removed from waste streams due to steel’s magnetic property. This convenience for reuse is the foremost process where steel’s recyclable quality takes effect. These steel scraps are then processed by melting and molding to serve its next purpose. It’s worth noting even after countless recycling, the corrosion-resistant durability of steel enables reuse time and again without downgrading, disguised as brand new to any consumer walking through the supermarket aisle.

Another arresting evidence is that steel is an environmentally beneficial resource by two measures: the conservation of resources that are depleting rapidly and prevention of pollution caused by by-products during the process of manufacturing new steel. Could there be a more optimal resource making least impact on the environment?

Steel is almost 100% recyclable and 86% of the commercial steel products are in fact recycled. Thereby food cans and jar lids frequenting the supermarket have indeed been recycled previous to reaching its shelves, earning the privilege to be called ‘friendly’ as in eco-friendly. Yes, this even includes the beer bottle caps and outdoor grills in that barbecue party scene.

Upcycling, Discarded Steel Reborn a Notch Greener

Are metal scraps only valid for use if they are re-manufactured through recycling? Recent trend reveals brand new transformations of existing products without undergoing the industrial hassle of melting and remolding in quite novel and exciting ways. The environmental effect of upcycling stretches beyond recycling as it leaves out carbon footprint altogether. And then adding elements to its original form serving either a practical or an artistic purpose increases its value significantly. 

Human sculptures made from welding thousands of used bicycle chains (Source: inhabitat)

After returning from vacation destinations, people may spend the remaining time taking care of daily chores and some shopping before busy life creeps back in. Shoppers are increasingly spending their earnings in ways that affect the environment. These contributions are the foundation for societies, institutions, and businesses alike to raise awareness of environmental issues.

A noticeable instance of such a business is a company that tackles an environmental waste issue through creating unique furniture from used steel-made oil barrels. Instead of leaving unwanted traces of waste to the environment or using extra energy to recycle, the company imbues new purpose and meaning to the barrels by designing and adding color from its original shape.

Empty oil barrels upcycled into uniquely designed furniture (Source: upcycleDZINE)

With such innovative twist, steel can be reborn without being melted and remolded. The artists who foresee the hidden functionality of old or broken steel products play a significant role in bringing forth such changes in consumer culture. An inventive idea and willingness can open doors to businesses and promote an eco-friendly economy.

Nothing Beats a Staycation

Yet there are those who would rather be cooped up at home than travel to faraway destinations. Especially if the region suffers from extreme heatwave. Steel can alleviate such pressure to always travel far out by transforming a home into a vacation spot itself.

Wood was commonly used as construction material for houses in the past. However, it was heavily influenced by its environment, easily worn out and decayed causing owners to undergo frequent maintenance. This was certainly not ideal in terms of convenience and economy.

But the advent of steel changed everything. As steel does not absorb moisture, many construction and maintenance difficulties were resolved. Its excellent durability implied safe and ideal living conditions without the squabble over constant house repairs. In the construction process, steel is easily manufactured to use as material, reducing construction time, labor costs, and noise pollution on site.

In particular, POSCO has been carrying forth its renown ‘Steel Village’ project. Its highly durable steel used as construction material was developed a while back to withstand catastrophic natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and typhoons– thanks to the application of its high-tech steel technology “PosMAC”. The Steel Village, also acknowledged as one of POSCO’s social contribution activity, has already successfully constructed homes in poor residential areas of Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand.

In overall cases steel is effective for home insulation, thus reducing costs for the usage of heating and cooling system. To such a degree, steel is valuable not only in terms of safety but also for the economy.

Steel has permeated our everyday lives from the mundane to the eventful. These indications reveal that its reason is by the virtue of steel’s eco-friendly nature. Or else steel would not be prevalent in the houses we sleep in, the arts we admire, or the grocery stores we frequent. Further analytical description of steel’s eco-friendly nature can be found below:

Upcycling ensures that resources are used to their fullest extent, minimizing the number of trips made to the landfill. Vivian Kim, a travel writer, takes us deeper into this topic and introduces two examples of upcycling architecture from her time in both Korea and the Netherlands.

Steel, an Ideal Material for Upcycling

Steel is 100% recyclable, which makes it one of the most ideal materials for upcycling. Other construction materials, such as wood and plastic, can only be recycled a limited number of times before they lose its original properties and functionality and need to be downcycled (recycled into a material that is of lower quality than the original material). Steel, on the other hand, never loses its original quality. In fact, it can even increase in value and be upgraded to a higher grade of steel with the same amount of energy it would take to recycle it.  

High-strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) steel being recycled. (Photo courtesy of Recycling International)

Steel is also reusable. Entire buildings made of steel can be reused or have their lives extended by years, just by making small improvements. Because steel can be easily reused for its original purpose, there is less of a need to use raw materials from scratch, allowing for more sustainable construction.

Let’s take a look at some of the most widely recognized pieces of upcycling architecture in the Netherlands and Korea.   

Amsterdam’s Abandoned Shipyard Reborn as Cultural Hub

Utilizing recycled materials in the design of a building is nothing new. In fact, upcycling in the Netherlands had its beginnings in the 1960’s when a small, social movement began in Jordaan, a well-known neighborhood in Amsterdam. The Dutch began to mobilize the community to protect their historical buildings and prevent constant demolition from taking place. Local governments also recognized the importance of reusing and remanufacturing materials from an economic standpoint and began to push for more upcycling initiatives.

A great example of this is the NDSM ship wharf, the site of the former Dutch Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Just a 15-minute ferry ride from Amsterdam Central Station, the NDSM was once one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world. However, a shortage of shipbuilding orders led to the company’s eventual closure in 1984. The abandoned shipyard soon became the breeding grounds for “city nomads” and local artists to take their place and breathe new life into the empty buildings. Through their efforts, the NDSM quarter was transformed into what is now a cultural hotspot in Amsterdam.

The NDSM ferry stop in Amsterdam Central.

As soon as visitors step off the ferry, they are greeted by what looks like a scene from an eerie, sci-fi movie. The NDSM ship wharf is full of gray, bleak buildings covered with graffiti and steel containers that are painted bright red and blue.

The former NDSM wharf is now Amsterdam’s newest creative hot spot.

Crane Hotel Faralda in the Sky of Amsterdam

At the center of the NDSM wharf stands a monumental, 50-meter-high crane called Crane 13. It is painted in red, blue and yellow, the signature colors of Dutch artist Mondrian. Built in 1951 by Hensen Ltd., it was one of the largest cranes in the world but slowly faded from the public’s memory with the closure of the shipbuilding company.

The Crane Hotel Faralda, transformed from a rusty, old crane into a luxurious high-end hotel.

In the spirit of upcycling, the 60-year-old rusty crane was transformed into the Crane Hotel Faralda in 2013 despite immense technical challenges. The hotel, named after a female Dutch spy who saved hundreds of people during World War II, is made entirely of steel.

As a crane’s main purpose is to lift heavy objects, only the strongest of steel is used to build it. For this reason, High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel (HSLA) is often employed. It contains 0.05% of carbon and other raw materials such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum, and vanadium – the secret behind its enhanced strength. HSLA steel is also more resistant to atmospheric corrosion, enabling Crane 13 to withstand the strong Netherland winds of the North Sea for over 60 years.

In the following time-lapse video, watch how the rusty crane transforms into an iconic symbol of the NDSM quarter and one of Europe’s most unique and sensational hotels.

An old rice mill transforms into one of Seoul’s hotspots

Another example of upcycling that shifts the culture can be found in the quaint neighborhood of Seongsu-Dong, South Korea. Known as the “Brooklyn of Seoul”, Seongsu-Dong is known for its trendy and hip cafes embedded in between old warehouses and factories. Its roots can be traced back to the 1970s where steel, leather and printing factories once dominated the streets. But, beginning in 2010, a wave of cafés, galleries, and studios began to break into the bleak space, transforming the once gray industrial district to a colorful vibrant scene brimming with new sights and sounds.

Daelim Warehouse in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. (Photo courtesy of Daelim Warehouse)

Hidden within the streets of Seongsu-Dong is the Daelim Warehouse, an old rice mill that has in recent years, been upcycled into a multi-cultural hub that doubles as a café and performance/exhibition venue for the artist community. From the bare concrete walls to the metal rod ceiling structure, it retains the distinct flair of a warehouse, cultivating a special atmosphere that has people flocking to it on a regular basis. Because of its unique interior, it has even been acknowledged as one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in Seoul.  

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From the NDSM quarter in Amsterdam to the Seongsu-Dong neighborhood in Seoul, upcycling has become a worldwide trend improving our surroundings as we live, create and build. Just as steel has been with mankind for thousands of years, it will continue to play a crucial role in recycling, reusing and upcycling.

Cover image courtesy of Crane Hotel Faralda