Inside This Sydney Apartment Made With Recycled Materials
How ‘green ceramics’ could revolutionise the future of building.
By Terry Christodoulou
Thu, Mar 18, 2021 1:28pm
2 min
2 min
The push for more sustainable building practices has been met by an industry-first apartment made using waste materials.
Australian property group Mirvac recently revealed the revolutionary Pavilions apartment at Sydney Olympic Park which boasts flooring, wall tiles, kitchen and lighting features, furniture and artworks all made from waste glass and textiles.
The new apartment utilises ‘green ceramics’, a process developed by Mirvac and UNSW’s Centre of Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) led by waste technology pioneer, Professor Veena Sahajwalla.
Green ceramics takes problematic waste materials, predominantly waste and textiles, and reforms them into new products through a combination of heat and compression. In the Pavilions apartment, all tiles are made from yellow bin glass and textiles, by way of example.
“In Australia, the building industry is responsible for around 60 per cent of the waste we generate,” Ms Lloyd Hurqitz, Mirvac CEO and managing director said.
“At Pavilions, we have been able to demonstrate a better way to build, using reformed waste, which not only helps our industry but provides a valuable second life for the mountains of glass and clothing, much of which would otherwise find its way to landfill.”
The next stage in the SMaRT centre collaboration is to investigate opportunities to establish a facility to enable local sourcing and manufacture of waste into green ceramics.
The SMaRT centre is also assisting Mirvac on its other development sites in Sydney, identifying materials that can be diverted to recycling or reforming before demolition works begin.
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The desert residence belonged to the singer, who also served as mayor of the California city, for more than a decade.
By Liz Lucking
Wed, Dec 17, 2025 < 1 min
< 1 min
Sonny Bono’s former estate, a piece of local history in Palm Springs, California, has come up for sale.
The desert residence, on the market for $7.49 million, was home to the singer, songwriter, congressman and Palm Springs mayor from 1986 until his death in 1998, records show.
“Opportunities like this simply do not come around often,” said listing agent Louise Hampton with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California, who brought the home to the market last month.
“A hillside estate of this size, with this level of privacy and this historical connection stands among the most compelling offerings in today’s desert market.”
Bono was perhaps most famously the other half of singing duo Sonny & Cher, but also served as the mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992, and as the U.S. representative for California’s 44th district from 1995 until he died in a skiing accident in 1998 at the age of 62.
Located in the city’s Mesa neighbourhood on a hillside parcel, the colourful seven-bedroom property combines Mid-Century Modern design with Italian influences across its almost 9,000 square feet and multiple structures.
The house last changed hands in 2021 for $4.35 million. The sellers couldn’t be reached for comment.
There’s a great room, a formal dining area with a rock fireplace, a chef’s kitchen with two wine fridges.
The seven bedrooms include a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a “spa-style” bathroom with a soaking tub and steam shower, according to the listing. Several of the home’s guest suites include private patios or separate entrances.
Outside, there are lawns, olive trees, date palms and cacti alongside terraces, a new travertine pool deck, a pool, a tennis court and an oversize motor court with space for more than a dozen vehicles.
