Plastic and Waste

 Since we are studying previous projects this week, this project in particular speaks on the use of recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles, as a building material and how that eliminates waste from the environment. This case study is interesting as my topic of choice research-wise is that of material used in typical construction and its effects on affordability, like that of recycled material or local and easily sourced material.

This case study sheds some light on the technicalities of projects such as this and whether they are worth pursuing. The plastic bottle projects and their construction were very interesting to read about as they depicted how they are put together in these projects and how the assemblies could be used for both projects big and small. 

This case study talks first about the assembly of two furniture projects, TrussFab, and the SIE43 Chair, both different ways of using plastic bottles to create new furniture. 


The second set of projects talk about the assembly of pavilions using plastic bottles, creating a larger structure, yet one that is impermanent.


The last set of projects are the large scale projects, including one of a house being built with plastic bottles. These projects in particular, the author found, are ones that remove more waste and make the most impact ecologically regarding recycling what we use.


The conclusion sums up the projects as successes, saying that these uses will help eliminate waste, maybe not totally but a large amount of it. The only questions I am left with are these:

Is this going to actually be used in the future?

If so, will these sorts of projects be cost-effective?

Will using recycled material that is easily assembled make for more affordable and ecological housing?

Is this all for nothing?

Everything is based on the consumer, if the consumer will not pay for or commission projects such as these, will these practices and experiments simply be a waste?

Is there a way to incorporate these techniques into a more aesthetic construct that will attract more possible clientele?






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The City vs Nature

Image
While participating in the studio travel to Los Angeles, I thought a lot about what exactly I am trying to study, and what exactly am I trying to dive into regarding home and affordability, and availability. I came to a conclusion about my study and a topic that I have not really considered heavily till now. I looked into affordability, and what material and economic practices building or otherwise can affect that affordability. Another thought came to me while walking the dense urban streets of Los Angeles when I went to the observatory and watched as the lush urban landscape caved into the natural landscape that surrounds the observatory. This brought the question of how we compete with the growing population without compromising the beauty of the natural landscape that surrounds us? How do we continue to make housing and other sorts of architecture without trampling the natural elements that we find so beautiful? Those natural elements bring us serotonin just by seeing them out our
Read more

The Process - The Choice

 I figure the best way to begin is to just go for it, so here is the first post on this blog. Choosing an idea to move forward with is challenging, to say the least, as I have so many options I could pursue and study that would each be interesting and fun to dive into. I could go with a typical choice, talk about the future, well, an aspect of it, and how things will likely advance or are looking to be advancing in technology or otherwise. I could also take the environmental route, I might talk about carbon emissions, efficiency, and better building practices. I could also follow the affordability path, look into why housing has become so expensive, why it's so hard to get an apartment that's both affordable and close enough to campus to not feel like it's the same as my hour commute from home.  Of all these choices, each one still affects my life, just in different ways. Whichever path of research I may be leaning towards or that I may take, I feel they all have an audienc
Read more