EINDHOVEN: PaperBricks building blocks from recycled newspaper.

14. February 2019 | Material | via Dezeen.com

WooJai Lee turns recycled newspaper into PaperBricks building blocks (Credit: Dezeen.com)

Displayed at this year's Dutch Design Week, PaperBricks are made from newspaper pulp that has been mixed with glue and pressed into a mould. The paper lends the bricks a textured and marbled exterior and, according to the designer, gives them a "soft, textile-like surface".

Each brick can be cut, drilled and glued in much the same way as wood. Holes down the side of each block allow them to be joined together.

"The form of the bricks was chosen to minimise the material usage, minimise the deformation and maximise strength," said Lee, in an article on Dezeen.com.

Usually, paper becomes weaker after each round of recycling as the fibres shrink and decrease, which is what prompted Lee to consider a more sturdy solution.