Industrial waste inspires Melbourne-based designer Joost Bakker, whose reputation for pop-up cafés constructed entirely from recyclable materials is rapidly spreading throughout the world. His demountable, sustainable venues have elevated rubbish from the scrap heap status to ultra cool.

Bakker’s Greenhouses have had a temporary presence at Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD and, more recently, at an iconic harbourside location at The Rocks in Sydney. Diners can be found queueing to get into these venues that provide a stunning example of how creative smarts can deliver more sustainable solutions.

Born in Holland, Bakker migrated to Australia when he was nine. At 17 he left school to work on his family’s flower farm on the outskirts of Melbourne. There he learned how to weld and work with building materials. Later, he started his own business exporting flowers, before chanelling his creativity into design.

“I have been thinking about how buildings are designed all my life. I was 12 or 13 when I began working out how to change the way they were built. It’s been a lifetime’s interest,” says Bakker.

“I started designing interiors and furniture using sustainable and recyclable principles. In 2008 I was invited to put up a prototype building at Federation Square that demonstrated my approach to design.

“I thought creating a bar/café would be more exciting for people than just a display home.”

All the materials used to build the unique “pop-up” cafés are non-toxic, natural and effectively born again. The components arrive on site in five shipping crates. It takes three weeks to build the Greenhouse and five days to dismantle it. The skeleton of the building is constructed using light-gauge steel. It is insulated with locally-sourced straw bales that are wedged into the walls, floor and ceiling. The kitchen and toilets are crated into the site and a generator powers the café. Like the exterior of the building, the interior furnishings are also made from fully recycled or recyclable materials.

“The tables are made from reconstituted timber and scraps of steel, and the floor is made from old conveyer belts. Even the cutlery is compostable plantation timber. I use a lot of industrial waste as well to make the bars,” says 38-year-old Bakker. “A rooftop garden is a standard feature because I am a passionate gardener and want people to see where plants come from and how they grow.”

The Greenhouse’s food follows the natural, sustainable theme too, serving dishes with ingredients often sourced from local farmers and growers.

On a recent business trip to London, people from within the food and wine industry and the property business responded enthusiastically to Bakker’s Greenhouse concept. So the next location for a café looks set to be London.

“We hope that the London café will happen quite quickly. It’s just a matter of deciding on the site,” confirms Bakker.

“I think eventually there will be Greenhouses in different parts of the world and I hope more people realise that we only have to make simple changes in our lifestyles to have a world without waste.”