Bottled Walls / Windows 

 

Background: 

• The most famous local bottle wall constructions can be found at the owl house in New Bethesda and were built over 60 years ago.   

 

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Benefits:

• Recycling waste reduces landfill. 

• Additional jobs can be created on site. 

• Bottles can be used to create beautiful patterns of light. 

• The walls create good insulation. 

 

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Technical information: 

• The tapered ends of bottles are cut off and taped end to end so as form a sealed tube of glass.  

• To cut the bottles, typically bottles are first marked with a tile or glass cutter and then subjected to thermal shock to break the heads off the tops of the bottles. 

• Alternately jars can be used and placed over the neck of the bottle, or 2 jars joined together to avoid having to cut the glass. 

• The tubes are stacked in a pattern and either set in cob, lime or cement. 

• Lime and white cement are more effective at reflecting light through the glass.  

• Tinfoil or waste material with a reflective surface can be wrapped around to further enhance the quality of light. 

 

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Company Track record/examples of work: 

• House Olivier, Kromme Valley Farm, Clan William, 2019 

• Yiza Ekhaya Soup Kitchen – Kuyasa, 2015 

• House Ndumiso Dlamini, Lyndock Eco Village, Stellenbosch, Western Cape 2013 

• House Eglin, 2009 – 2011, Gqnube Green Eco Village, East London 

• House Sidler - Milnerton Cape Town, 2006 

• House Brodie - Scarborough, Cape Peninsular, 2003  

• House Patience – Greyton, Cape Province, 2002 

• House Lijnes - Noordhoek Cape Peninsular, 2001