Villa from coastal pollution.
Together with a naval architect and a building engineer we are further developing the Recycled Island prototype of coastal pollution. The prototype is a floating house with surroundings. This floating villa is constructed from recycled plastic and self-sufficient. The construction principle is based on Yacht building in composite and brings together building engineering with naval architecture.
RE:Villa is a proposal for a floating habitat constructed from waste materials. As a building material, for the prototype, we see the potential in recycling coastal pollution. With the success of the prototype more sustainable and flood-proof habitats can be realized. Recycled Island started as a proposal to build a new floating habitat from marine litter in the North Pacific Gyre. This project came from my own personal interest in the possibility of habitats that respond to the rising sea level as well as in the recycled plastics, in particular, sea-waste as a building material. After years of gathering information and speaking to experts we have visualized these ideas into a concept design. These images have been published worldwide. Taking this project step by step the proposal is to design a small floating habitat from coastal pollution. Besides the marine litter, there are also huge quantities of plastics being deposited on coastlines.
The realization of a prototype will physically prove our theory and will give us the opportunity to test the strength of the recycled plastics and will stimulate the further development of the project. In this the most suitable recycling techniques are considered. The prototype should be built from hollow elements made by recycling the plastic waste from coastlines reinforced with natural fibers. These hollow parts will be the components from which Recycled Island will be constructed. The prototype is a small version of an overall concept.
The typical components of the family home: shared space, private space, garden, and service spaces have new constraints imposed by their new littoral contexts, and so the organization of the components themselves is rethought. The recycled plastic creates the possibility of translucent materiality and more fluid connections between spaces.
The creation of the prototype will illustrate:
1: The potential of (sea) plastic recycling. 2. Flood-proof living. 3. Sustainable and self-sufficient housing. The prototype can eventually be on display in any major (harbor) city.
