The Wasteless Plastic Fabrication Market
Year III Semester II Design Thesis
University of Westminster Architecture and Environmental Design BSc
Newham has the lowest recycling rates out of all of the boroughs in London, and within this only about 4% of plastic is recycled. The level at which we continue to source and manufacture new, raw materials for plastic is unsustainable and contributes greatly to the climate emergency. There is a clear need for a stronger system of recycling and a circularity to the process in which plastic is used.
This issue is very clear in North Woolwich, a Borough of East London, with vacant and derelict sites covered in waste materials. As an old industrial hub for the royal docks, the area has great potential for housing a system that could help repurpose waste materials such as plastic. It has transportation connections to a much wider area, and its industrial history brings many residents with craft skills.
The area needs a space that can revitalize its social, economic, and community resources. The Waste-less Plastic Fabrication Market is a large scale plastic recycling factory that works to lower waste and brings life back to North Woolwich with an engaging and exciting marketspace that gives economic opportunities back to those in the area. The building also serves a wider purpose to educate, address, and change the ways in which we consume plastic for a cleaner, less waste-full future. The factory will help create an urban scheme to repurpose used plastic to create new products ranging from building components down to jewelry, creating a hub that showcases the potential of plastic as a useful material.
Bioclimatic Section
Plan: Community Cafe
Plan: Factory
Full plan: Ground Floor
ventilation strategy for pyramid structure
Aerial view
1:50 physical model - Fall Equinox 9AM shadow testing
1:50 physical model - Summer Solstice 12PM shadow testing
