Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Pretty Plastic shingles made from recycled PVC windows and gutters are "first 100 per cent recycled cladding material"

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA

A new range of facade cladding tiles made of recycled PVC construction waste, designed by Dutch studios Overtreders W and Bureau SLA, has been used on a permanent building for the first time.

Called Pretty Plastic, the designers claim the product is the "first 100 per cent recycled cladding material" in the world.

The first permanent building to be clad in the hanging tiles, a school music pavilion in the Netherlands, was completed by Dutch studio Grosfeld Bekkers Van der Velde Architecten in January.

Grey diamond-shaped shingles are made from shredded PVC building products such as window frames, downspouts and rain gutters. They are hung in overlapping rows from a single screw.

First developed in 2017, the tiles received fire approval in class B (very difficult to burn) last year, allowing them to be used as a cladding material on external facades.

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
The diamond-shaped Pretty Plastic tiles are hung from a single screw. The photo is courtesy of Pretty Plastic

The tiles were initially developed for the People's Pavilion, a temporary auditorium constructed at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in 2017.

Designed by Bureau SLA and Overtreders W, the pavilion demonstrated how the principles of the circular economy could be applied to architecture, with every component designed to be used again once the structure was demounted.

The pavilion was clad in 9,000 bespoke moulded plastic shingles made of waste collected from local residents.

Architects Peter van Assche of Bureau SLA and Reinder Bakker, and Hester van Dijk of Overtreders W, then developed the shingles into a commercial product.

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
The tiles are made from waste PVC construction products such as windows and drainpipes

"After the success of the People's Pavilion many people asked us where the upcycled plastic facade tiles could be bought," van Dijk told Dezeen. "So we decided to start a new company called Pretty Plastic."

"Apart from bio-based materials, genuine 100 per cent sustainable cladding materials hardly exist," added van Assche. "Pretty Plastic is the first facade material made from 100 per cent upcycled plastic waste as far as we know."

"For people looking for recycled materials that contribute to a circular economy, Pretty Plastic is one of the few products that can be used on facades," he continued.

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
Pretty Plastic has been developed by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA to encourage the reuse of construction waste

Each Pretty Plastic tile is made from material collected from building sites across the Netherlands, before being sorted and shredded into five-millimetre-wide pieces.

After being cut up, they are shipped to Belgium where they are transformed into shingles by Govaplast, a company that makes materials from recycled plastic.

Pretty Plastic is currently available in a range of grey tones. Every tile has a unique finish created by the use of different plastic products.

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
The first permanent building to use the tiles is a music pavilion at the Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium school in the Netherlands

The Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium school at Oosterhout in the Netherlands is the first permanent structure to be clad in the shingles.

Pascal Grosfeld of Grosfeld Bekkers Van der Velde Architecten enquired about the product after seeing them on the demonstration building at Dutch Design Week.

"As with many good things in life, the collaboration came by chance," said van Assche. "Pascal Grosfeld had been interested in the plastic tiles since he visited the People's Pavilion."

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
Grosfeld Bekkers Van der Velde Architecten specified the tiles after seeing them in use at the People's Pavilion

"Pascal and I both attended the Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium as teenagers," van Assche added. "Pascal and the school loved being the guinea pig for Pretty Plastic. We loved that too."

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA are now working on expanding the range by developing a range of new colours and shapes.

Overtreders W and Bureau SLA Music Pavilion at Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium with Pretty Plastic cladding by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA
The overlapping shingles are similar in form to traditional clay or timber cladding systems

The role of plastic in a circular economy was a hot topic at the first Dezeen Day conference. In one of the panel discussions, Dutch designer Richard Hutten referred to plastic as "the cancer of our planet", while the CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Andrew Morlet argued that we need to "keep it in the system".

In another discussion at the one-day conference, architect Arthur Mamou-Mani argued that "we still need" plastic while designer Nienke Hoogvliet said that "we shouldn't produce any more".

Photography is courtesy of Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium.

The post Pretty Plastic shingles made from recycled PVC windows and gutters are "first 100 per cent recycled cladding material" appeared first on Dezeen.



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Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition into a backpack

The Swedish Design Museum To Go exhibition can be taken away inside a backpack that visitors can borrow for a week to explore the country with.

The Swedish Design Museum's latest exhibition consists of a backpack from bag brand Sandqvist filled with Swedish, design-led items that have been carefully chosen by local curators in the country, based on their favourite things to do.

Designed to work as a "true insiders' guide to Sweden", each object closely relates to various local experiences in Sweden, and comes with "personal tips" from the curator.

Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition inside a backpack

The takeaway design exhibit is available in four different versions designed for the south, west, north and east areas of the country.

Items included in the backpacks range from blankets and headphones to wood-carving sets and trainers. Other items, such as a towel, can lead the explorer to lake Källtorpssjön, which is located just 20 minutes from central Stockholm.

Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition inside a backpack

Examples of the curators' personal tips include enjoying a day in east Sweden by heading to Stockholm for "the perfect blend of recreation and culture", making use of cosmetics, textiles and technology.

In the country's southern region, they recommend visitors utilise the cup, lamp and safety technology included in the backpack to take advantage of the scenic views and urban culture in Malmö.

Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition inside a backpack

"Swedish design is made to be used, not to be put on a pedestal or locked behind glass, and we want our visitors to truly get a chance to experience this when coming to Sweden," said Jennie Skogsborn Missuna, CEO at Visit Sweden.

"The Swedish Design Museum is therefore not your typical museum, and the exhibition is a personal guide to both Swedish design items and the destinations, providing a tour of Swedish experiences, specifically chosen for the design interested visitor."

Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition inside a backpack

The online design museum was opened by travel organisation Visit Sweden in 2017. The online platform has no physical collection, with the aim of making Swedish design more accessible to people from all across the globe.

"Swedish design is made for the many, made to be used – and used again," said the company. "It breaks norms and challenges preconceptions. Moreover, it is shaped by its context, the beliefs and values of Swedish society."

Swedish Design Museum squeezes latest exhibition inside a backpack

The Swedish Design Museum To Go project was initiated in response to Visit Sweden's target group analysis from 2018, which showed that "blending in with the locals is one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences for people when travelling".

Those who wish to explore different parts of the country through the lens of Swedish design can book the backpacks online via the organisation's website.

The takeaway exhibition is then borrowed for a week, free of charge, and the visitor can use the items to explore the locals' recommended places.

In another Sweden-centric exhibition, curator Paola Bjäringer collated work by eight different, predominantly female or non-white designers in a bid to present "the opposite of what is commonly known as Swedish design".

The collection of colourful pieces were displayed during the London Design Fair as part of the exhibition Crossovers by digital gallery Adorno, and include strong feminists objects.

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