INORGANIC REBIRTH: Celebration of Materials and Life; Plastic Recycling Center & Design Studio

Abstract

Waste plastic has been creating a lot of clutter on our lands and in our waters. Not only is it a threat to all life, it has also been degrading our space. Production of man-made entities, like plastics themselves is inevitable, but it is our responsibility to acknowledge the environmental degradation that is happening and to highlight the sense of social responsibility among the people. It is necessary to find the balance where they both survive together and celebrate each other. Where the inorganic must respect the organic, the organic must also accept the inorganic. Life is a celebration of creation, and recycling is a process that gives life to a single-use material into a new shape and form. Therefore, this thesis tries to rearrange this waste clutter into a celebration of materials and life, and utilizes this revival by welcoming an audience to a journey of learning and creating. This thesis challenges the preconceived notions of what a recycling factory is about; turning it from a shunned, garbage disposal, industrial facility into a welcoming and fun place, making the factory feel more like a friend and less like a monster. An approachable facility, that is not only efficient in terms of the primary program it is hosting, but also addresses the social aspects of sustainability by introducing learning activities and studio spaces where families come together and recreate from their own plastic waste; a place where they can then turn waste into art, function or whatever their imagination entails! Not only does this project try to cater to an environmental hazard, it also encourages social interaction, offers a place to bring people together, stirs a dialogue about the waste we produce and inculcates a sense of civic responsibility through a creative and educative process.