17 Projects That Use “Ugly” Materials in Beautiful Ways

The modest two-story studio building by architect Greg Katz is made of a lightweight steel framework entirely clad in what is traditionally a roofing material: an asphalt-colored shingle, made of only two-millimeter-thick recycled rubber sheets, finished with a silicate coating (with a 20-year lifespan). The circular pavers are not actual pavers, but the residue from the pouring of the coffered slabs for House Katz. Instead of letting it go to waste, Katz asked the builders to pour the small amount of concrete left over from each newly mixed batch into a circular container. Once set, these circular shapes were popped out and stored to ultimately become a playful walkway.