about mission get involved send tips advertise with us support us press contact Inhabitat October 11, 2007 HEINEKEN WOBO: The brick that holds beer by Ali Upcycling is a 21st century term, coined by Cradle to Cradle authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart, but the idea of turning waste into useful products came to life brilliantly in 1963 with the Heineken WOBO (world bottle). Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the “brick that holds beer” was ahead of its ecodesign time, letting beer lovers and builders alike drink and design all in one sitting. Mr. Heineken’s idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he had witnessed on the islands. The final WOBO design came in two sizes – 350 and 500 mm versions that were meant to lay horizo [From Inhabitat » HEINEKEN WOBO: The brick that holds beer]