RedSands Plastics Design Portfolio

REDSANDS PLASTICS The next chapter in the War on Ocean Plastics DESIGN PORTFOLIO

“Ocean plastic is everyone’s problem, everyone’s fault and therefore everyone’s responsibility”

PLASTIC POLLUTION Plastic pollution can now be found on every beach in the world, from busy tourist beaches to uninhabited, tropical islands nowhere is safe.

Scientists have recently discovered microplastics embedded deep in the Arctic ice.

In 1950, the world’s population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic; in 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 320 million tons of plastic. This is set to double by 2034.

Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans.

There may now be around 5.25 trillion macro and microplastic pieces floating in the open ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes.

Plastics consistently make up 60 to 90% of all marine debris studied.

Approx 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK. Over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches.

Recent studies have revealed marine plastic pollution in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabird species examined.

100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually.

HISTORY OF PLASTIC USE

1922 Research reveals plastic molecular structure

1909 Bakelite, First synthetic plastic is produced

1927 Acrclic Plastic is invented

1926 Vynl (PVC) is invented

1935 Nylon patented LDPE invented

1933 Polyethylene is discovered

1941 PET patented, first polyester fiber created

1937 Polystyrene & Polyurethanes are invented

1945 First LDPE squeeze bottle is created

1946 Tupperware containers are invented

1950 Mass production od modern plastic starts

1949 Lycra is introduced

1954 Styrofoam is invented

1953 Cling film/wrap is introduced

1962 Plastic shopping bag introduced

1960 1.8 kg per year per pseron

RESEARCH

1973 PET bottles are developed

1988 Recycling code system is introduced

1976 Plastic becomes worlds most used material

1970 12.7 kg per year per pseron

1990 Plastic is the most common marine pollution

1988 First national beach cleanup

1980 27.2 kg per year per pseron

2001 Microplastic “Soup� is found in the Gyre

1990 First avaliable bio-degradable plastice made

1990 62.1 kg per year per pseron

2017 UN declares war on ocean plastic

2013 Microplastic found in food and drink

2000 82.1 kg per year per pseron

2017 Five Trillion pieces of plastic floating at sea

2010 92.1 kg per year per pseron

HOW DOES WASTE ENTER THE OCEAN Maritime Activities contribute to around 20% of the waste •Shipping Almost 10,000 containers are lost at sea, many of these a filled with products containing plastic. This has both an environmental and economic impact. Container ships also often abandon their waste overboard.

•Fishing Nets, Lines & Crates are often lost at sea by accident, however when damaged they are often abandoned rather than correctly disposed of

Cigarette Butts

Beach littering

Food Wrappers

Waste Collection

Plastic Bottles

•Littering In towns an cities rubbish from the street or overflowing bins is blown towards the ocean.

Rain and flooding can also pull rubbish into the drains which eventually lead to the oceans.

Littering also appears at the coast where it directly enters the waters due to wind and tidal movements.

RESEARCH

•Cosmetics & Sanitary Products Both consumers and producers are to blame. Microbeads from cosmetics enter rivers through household drains whist sanitary products such as wet wipes and condoms are flushed down toilets.

Factory Waste

Rubbish enters the drains & Sewers

Rubbish blown from landfill sites to Beach

Enters Rivers

Blown or Drained into the Ocean

•Waste & Recycling Infrastructure Poor management can lead to the wrong items being sent to landfill where they are blown into rivers or the ocean (coastal landfill sites).

•Illegal dumping in rivers River and Canal-side factories were a common site up until the mid-late 20th century in the UK and would often dispose of waste materials and chemical in the river. Though this rarely happens in the UK it is still occurring in less developed countries

Cosmetics and Sanitary

City Littering & Overflowing Bins

Rubbish taken to Landfill

Land Sources contribute to around 80% of the waste

Car Tyre Degradation

The Ocean

Lost Fishing Equipment

Illegally dumped Fishing Equpiment

Fishing Industry

Lost Containers

Illegally dumped ship waste

Shipping Industry

HOW DOES WASTE ENTER THE OCEANS 10 Key Rivers •Almost 90% of all the waste in the ocean comes from rivers that are fed directly into to sea.

•The remaining 10% comes from direct ocean dumping and urban runoff.

•Rivers carry rubbish long distances and connect land surfaces and the ocean, subsequently they are a major battleground in the fight against ocean pollution.

Sea of Okhotsk

8.

A recent study has found that the majority of the of river based pollution comes from 10 rivers, half of which flow through China.

The Yangtze River in China pollutes near to 1.5 million tonnes of waste into the ocean per year. In contrast, the River Thames pollutes only 18 tonnes per year.

Each of these rivers have multiple similarities •They run through heavily populated areas (up to the 100 million people) •Most of theses countries are LEDC (less economically developed country), subsequently they have poor waste and recycling infrastructure.

•There is limited public awareness of the global ocean waste problem, rubbish is often discarded into the rivers with little knowledge of the consequences.

•China, is the biggest culprit in ocean pollution, although this is partially due to them importing waste from more developed countries - this has since been restricted as of May 2018 (this should

2.

6.

Mediterranean

North Atlantic Gyre

North Pacific Gyre

Arabian Sea

9.

Gulf of Guinea

South Atlantic Gyre

1.

10.

Bay of Bengal

5.

4.

3.

Yellow Sea

7.

South China Sea

East China Sea

Indian Gyre

South Pacific Gyre

South Pacific Gyre 1. Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) •China •Local Population of 503,258,473 •Area 1,907,295km² •1.48 million tones of plastic enter the East China Sea per year 2. Indus River •China/India/Pakistan •Local Population of 191,277,131 •Area 854,106km² •173,000 tones of plastic enter the Arabian Sea per year 3. Huang He (Yellow River) •China •Local Population 122,167,489 •Area 761,437km² •129,000 tones of plastic enter the Yellow Sea per year

RESEARCH

4. Hai He •China •Local Population 102,782,394 •Area 211,489km² •93,000 tones of plastic enter the Yellow Sea per year 5. River Nile • Egypt/Ethiopia/Uganda/Kenya •Local Population 182,955,620 •Area 2,851,708 •86,000 tones of plastic enter the Mediterranean per year

6. Meghna, Bramaputra, Ganges •India/Bangladesh •Local Population 620,596,218 •Area 1,571,571km² •74,000 tones of plastic enter the Bay of Bengal per year 7. Zhujiang (Pearl River) •China/Vietnam •Local Population 74,999,426 •Area 388,705km² •53,000 tones of plastic enter the South China Sea per year 8. Amur •Russia/China •Local Population 64,344,272 •Area 2,004,785km² •41,000 tones of plastic enter the Sea of Okhotska per year 9. Niger •Guinea/Mali/Niger/Benin/ Nigeria •Local Population 92,689,954 •Area 2,090,967km² •37,000 tones of plastic enter the Gulf of Guinea per year 10. Mekong •China •Local Population 61,740,094 •Area 771,941km² •35,000 tones of plastic enter the South China Sea per year

Pie chart showing percentage of plastic entering the sea from the 10 worst rivers Yangtze 67.2% Indus

7.9%

Huang He

5.9%

Hai He

4.2%

Nile

3.9%

Ganges 3.4% Zhujiang 2.4% Amur

1.9%

Niger

1.7%

Mekong 1.6%

River Yangtze

North Pacific Gyre

River Ganges

HOW DOES A GYRE WORK

Subtropical Gyre

•Upper layers of water collect in the gyre’s center •Sea Level is 2m above surrounding ocean •Water flows outwards & is turned by the Coriolis Effect •Continents form the boundaries the contain flow in the ocean basins While these gyres are the home of the planets great garbage patches, these patches as less physical clumps of plastic, but rather thick sludges of microplastic particles. The water movements formed by the Gyre’s combined with UV radiation helps to break down larger items of plastic into smaller pieces of microplastic.

North

Mid-latitude South-westerly Winds

Water driven Southeast by Winds

UV Radiation & Ocean Currents break apart objects into fragments of plastic

GYRE

West

East

Water driven Northwest by Winds

Tropical North-easterly Trade Winds

RESEARCH

South

Plastic fragments break down into microplastics (<5mm in size)

Micro-plastics degrade into finer particles and remain in the water & sediment, but never fully disappear

EXISTING OCEAN CLEANUPS The issue of Plastic Pollution has be known about for several decades now, as such numerous proposals have been put forward the levels of plastic found in the rivers and oceans.

Litter Trap

RESEARCH

•The Litter Trap is a passive device designed to remove floating rubbish from open waters including ports, harbours, canals and rivers.

•The water level is often the lowest point in a city, as such rubbish naturally tends to accumulate here.

•By removing the plastics in the city and ports the volume of waste entering the seas and oceans is significantly reduced.

•The traps are anchors to the river bed or shoreline and use the tide and current to pull in floating waste which is held in wire mesh cages then manually removed to be sorted and recycled.

•The location of the traps are determined by existing accumulation of debris, often at the mouth of the river, along a curve or where there are high winds or currents.

Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Clean-up is floating structure designed to collect plastic from the ocean gyres, it is made up of a series of interconnected floats connected to a tapered skirt which sits below the water surface.

The plastic was meant to be caught within this skirt and then floated to then end of the structure where it would be collected, however due to technical difficulties during testing it proved to be unsuccessful and is still undergoing further development and testing.

The design for this structure was only capable of collecting large items of waste close to the water surface, the least dangerous pieces. Much of the plastic in the estuary is much smaller and is lower down in the water column therefore this precedent proved to be of little assistance.

UK EXPORTS OF WASTE PLASTIC Historic exports •The UK has been exporting its waste overseas for almost 20 years now with most of it heading to China and Hong Kong •In 2014, 2015 & 2016 the UK exported 800,000 tonnes of waste plastic overseas •500,000 of this went to China & Hong Kong China Ban •In January 2018 China changed its rules on imports of waste and recyclable material •Following this the UK began to ship waste to other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam •Each of these countries have poor waste and recycling infrastructure to correctly deal with this waste and are also in the top 10 for plastic waste entering the oceans •Within 3-6 months of the Chinese ban these countries were becoming overwhelmed by the levels of waste so also put a stop on imported waste

CONCEPT

Affect on the UK •This may lead to a blanket ban on imported waste to many LEDCs •As such the UK is going to have to “Stop off-shoring our dirt” and deal with its plastic at home.

•However the sector will continue “Lurching from crisis to crisis” until a new recycling infrastructure is developed.

•As such we are already beginning to see increasing levels of waste plastic piling up on brownfield sites or going straight to landfill •In addition several councils have began reducing the range of items they will recycle •This lack of infrastructure and finance combined with the crude attitude towards this problem may see levels of waste in our rivers increase and subsequently our oceans.

January 2018 China change rules on imported waste 2017 (January - June)

2016 (January - June)

Potential change to rules on imported waste by other countries 2018 (January - June)

CHINA

45% of UK WASTE

Fall

40% of UK WASTE

Fall

4% of UK WASTE

HONG KONG

40% of UK WASTE

Fall

22% of UK WASTE

Fall

8% of UK WASTE

MALAYSIA

11% of UK WASTE

Rise

13% of UK WASTE

Rise

36% of UK WASTE

THAILAND

0.01% of UK WASTE

Same

0.06% of UK WASTE

Rise

6% of UK WASTE

VIETNAM

4% of UK WASTE

Same

4% of UK WASTE

Rise

7.6% of UK WASTE

UK

??% of UK WASTE

??% of UK WASTE

??% of UK WASTE

2019 Onwards

Rise

100% of UK WASTE Ends up in •Landfill •Brownfeild Sites •Rivers

Waste Bales

UK waste found in Thailand

Plastic sorting in Vietnam

Plastic on the Thames Shoreline

Plastic on the Thames Foreshore

Waste Bales in disused UK airfield

UK EXPORTS OF WASTE PLASTIC

CONCEPT

Illustration of previous diagram text

1. China places ban on import of waste plastic

2. UK starts to send waste to other Asian countries

3. Countries place bans on waste plastic imports

4. UK plastic goes to landfill

5. Landfill spills into rivers

6. Plastic breaks down as it travels towards the ocean

HOW DOES WASTE ENTER THE THAMES ESTUARY SOUTHEND on SEA

CAVENY ISLAND

•Historically we have used our estuaries and coasts to dispose of waste.

•Estuarine waters provided an efficient means of removal and dilution of sewage and industrial waste •In the UK there are approximately 20,000 historic landfill sites that were produced before the Control of Pollution Act in 1974.

•These site have no engineered waste management controls such as a separating layer between the earth and the waste or side-wall engineering.

•The relied on natural attenuation, such as finegrained sediments to absorb contaminants before they leaked into the environment •Of these 20,000 sites, 1200 sit within a tidal flood zone 3 •Many of these sites are also close to Environmentally Sensitive or of Scientific Interesting Areas.

•With Climate Change causing rising sea levels and increasing frequency of storms the future of these Special Areas is in jeopardy

The adjacent map shows the relationship between these pre 1974 landfill sites and the surrounding Marine Environment •Blue - Flood Zone •Red - Landfill < 100m Flood Zone •Green -Landfill > 100m Flood Zone

RIVER THAMES ISLE of SHEPPEY

WASTE

Leaching of Waste

Erosion & Surface run-off

COASTAL WETLANDS & FORESHORE

CONCEPT

Absorption into Coastal Sediments

The adjacent section shows the possible movement of waste between these poorly engineered landfill sites and the surrounding environment.

•Red - Flow of contaminated liquids •Blue - Flow of contaminated solids

DRAINAGE NETWORKS

Reworking & Erosion of Coastal Sediments

GROUNDWATER

COASTAL WATERS

THAMES ESTUARY THE MAUNSELL SEA FORTS •WW2 began in September 1939 and Greater London and its surrounding shipping routes were quickly becoming key targets for the Nazi attacks.

•At this time the port of London was the most prosperous shipping port in the world, providing supplies to a large percentage of the UK. •To gain a strategic foothold the Nazis dropped magnetic proximity mines along the trade routes into London, this scheme was effective and destroyed over 100 steel-hulled ships within the first few months of use.

•In addition to blocking supply routes, the Nazis also disrupted the British economy and industry by bombing heavily populated areas “The Blitz” •The Blitz saw London attacked by aerial bombs a total of 71 times resulting in over 1 million homes destroyed & 40,000 civilian deaths.

•To combat this, the British military re-purposed old wooden steam boats which could travel along the Thames without activating the German Mines.

•These boats were also fitted with 40mm Bofors Guns that were used to shoot down enemy planes.

•While these were successful, they only brought a short term solution, something more permanent would be required to deter further attacks and protect London for the foreseeable future.

•In 1941 civil engineer Guy Maunsell was contact by the British Military to develop a proposal to combat the Nazi bombing campaign •First Generation •He sketched out designs for the construction of 4 offshore naval defence structures with living accommodation and weapons with the primary purpose of shooting down German Planes •HM Fort Roughs, Sunk Head Tower, Tounge Sands Fort, Knock John •These were designed with two 7 storey tall concrete legs each housing 120 men. Above this was a deck containing the Bofors guns and a Control tower •These huge structures were pulled out to sea then sunk in place •Second Generation •Following the success of these forts, Maunsell began designing a second generation of forts.

•Great Nore, Red Sands and Shivering Sands •These were a cluster of 7 interconnecting elevated structures •They consisted of 1 Control Tower, 1 Searchlight Tower, 1 40mm Bofors Gun Tower and 4 Gun Towers (3.7in anti-aircraft gun) •Each tower was of a similar design and was formed of a 36ftx36ft meter steel hold which was supported by 4 3ft thick concrete legs •These towers were also built in dry dock, the towed out to sea and lowered onto the seabed

SITE

Location •The first generation towers were placed in the outer estuary during 1942, 2 of the 4 towers were situated outside of British Territorial Waters •The second generation towers were smaller so could be placed closer to the river mouth, there were also purposely situated here in an attempt to break up bombers who used the river as a navigational aid to reach the city •In 1987 the extents of British Territorial Waters was extended from 3 miles to 12 miles meaning all the forts were within this area •The second generation forts are also located in what is now classified as a Special Protection Area (SPA) due to having a unique range of wildlife and migratory species that are rarely found in other regions.

•These include; Migratory Birds, Fish and Molluscs •During their 3 years of operation in the War, the forts played a key role in the defence of the Thames Estuary and Greater London; protection shipping routes and assisting in the Blitz •Whilst only used for a short period the forts managed to cumulatively shoot down 22 German Planes, 30 Flying Bombs and 1 German E-Boat.

Right (top - bottom) • Magnetic Influence Mine •The Blitz •German E-Boat •Sea Fort Gun Turret •Sea Fort New clipping Far Right (top-bottom) •1st Gen Sea Fort (Knock John) •2nd Gen Sea Fort (Red Sands)

UK Territorial Waters (pre 1987)

THAMES ESTUARY THE MAUNSELL SEA FORTS - LOCATIONS Roughs Fort UK Territorial Waters (post 1987)

COLCHESTER

Knock John Fort

Sunk Head Fort (Demolished 1967)

ESSEX

Rough Sands Fort

Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm

London Array Wind Farm

Tounge Sands Fort

Knock John Fort

SOUTHEND on SEA

Great Nore Fort (Demolished

Roughs Fort

Shivering Sands Fort Tounge Sands

Red Sands Kentish Sands Wind Farm

Shivering Sands Fort

SITE

ISLE of SHEPPEY

HERNE BAY WHITSTABLE

MARGATE

Red Sands Fort

THAMES ESTUARY THE MAUNSELL SEA FORTS - POST WW2 •Post WW2 the forts were removed from active duty and placed on the care and maintenance by the MOD •Following this various proposals for their reused were put forward including; adding further military towers, converting them into lighthouses and equipping them with ocean and weather tracking equipment, however all plans were rejected due to cost and feasibility.

•In 1953 a Swedish ship collided with the Great Nore’s Bofors Tower killing 4 crew members and damaging the towers structure, as such the government decided to remove the entire fort.

•In 1956 the MOD began removing all military equipment from the forts and the forts were then officially decommissioned in 1958.

•Following their abandonment, fishermen and scrap traders scavenged the structures for materials and components which were traded to merchants or re-purposed.

SITE

•During the 1960s there was a trend of appropriating the Maunsell Forts for Pirate Radio broadcasting, this stared with the Radio Caroline ship moored up at Roughs Fort which at the time was outside of UK territorial waters.

•In May 1964 Shivering Sands was taken over by David Lord Sutch who established Radio Sutch as a publicity stunt, this later became more serious and Radio City was formed in the September.

•At the same time the Red Sands fort was taken over by Radio Invicta •During their time broadcasting, both radio stations undertook renovations and restorations to the forts including the sleeping and cooking facilities •The Government eventually caught on to the illegal broadcasting and brought the forts into British Territorial Waters which enabled prosecution.

•Between 1966 & 1967 there were several instances where the military attempted to shut down the radio groups, this included confiscating equipment and banning members for broadcasting, though was unsuccessful.

•This led to altercations between rival station owners which ended up in the death of Reg Calvert.

•Following this incident the Government set up the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act which resulted in the closure of all offshore Pirate Radio Stations.

•In the mid 70s the Port of London Authority decided to remove the walkways between the towers about both Red Sands and Shivering Sands forts to prevent any further unwanted visitors from inhabiting the structures.

Right (top - bottom) • Scrap Merchants and Fisherman salvaging materials and components •Radio City advert •Engine Room •Radio Sutch Banner •Radio Equipment Left •Walkways removed from fort

THAMES ESTUARY - REDSANDS & SHIVERING SANDS

Top Left - Ammo Storage Top Right - Sleeping Quarters Top Right - Legs Middle - Group Shot Bottom Left - Construction Bottom Right - Rusted Cladding

•Both used by the army, these forts consisted of a group of seven towers with walkways connecting each to a central control tower •1 Bofor Tower (munitions storage) •1 Control Tower •4 Gun Towers •1 Searchlight Tower •The were arranged with the control tower at the core, with the Bofor tower opposite and the Gun towers positioned in a semicircular shape around it, the Searchlight tower was then positioned the further away (See plan) •Due to the War demands they were constructed quickly so they could be easily floated out into the sea and grounded in waters no more than 30m deep •Due to their form and lack of context they have entered the imaginations of architects including Archigram who visited during the 1960s to gain inspiration for their Walking city proposal •Whilst these forts have had limited use since their decommission, they have paved the way for many other ocean structures including offshore fuel & drilling platforms

Site Plan Bofors Tower

Gun Tower

Control Tower

SITE

Gun Tower

Gun Tower

Gun Tower

Searchlight Tower

BYFUSION RECYCLED BLOCKS Byfusion are a Kickstarter project aiming to produce modular building blocks from recycled plastic.

•Waste plastic is converted into a new material “RePlast”.

•The process is both low emission and non-toxic •Typically only 3 of the 7 types of plastics are recycled buy our councils due to processing cost and safety.

•ByFusion are able to process all types of plastic, and as the system in modular it can be transported to were the material source is.

Step 1 Waste Plastic Enters

Step 2 Plastic is Shredded

Step 3 Hot Water and Compression Fuse Plastic into Building Blocks

RESEARCH

RePlast Block Properties •95% lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions in production than Concrete •Improved thermal and acoustic properties over concrete •Flexible production process, range of size, shape and colour •No glue or adhesives required, Blocks are Tounge & Grove so stack together with metal rods for support •Approx 20 bottles makes 1 block RePlast Block Uses •Retaining Earth Walls •Thermal Insulation •Internal Walls •Crash Barriers •Furniture •Modular Housing •Highways Infrastructure

RECYCLED FILAMENT SEMI-INDUSTRIAL SCALE

Dave Hakkens - Precious Plastic

Designer Dave Hakkens has developed a series of machines to convert waste plastic into a valuable and usable material for small scale industrial use.

The principle of the machines work by heating plastic to melting point, then applying pressure into a mould before it is cooled and hardened into a usable object. Each of the machines are unique with different work-flows, outcomes and properties but the general concept remains.

The previous illustrations show a basic overview of the process of turning waste plastic into usable printer filament.

There are however more aspects to each stage such as sorting, washing & decontamination as well as additional equipment/ machinery required in order to scale up the process.

Collect Waste Plastic (Beaches/Cities /Friends & Family/Personal Use)

Sort by Type (PET/HDPE/ LDPE/PP/PS), Colour & Size

Cleaning & Filtering of Waste Plastic Items

Storage of Waste Plastic

Storage of Granules

Extrusion

Injection

Heating

Melting Pouring/ Casting Cooling RESEARCH

Shredder

Shredding of Plastic into usable Granules

Products/ Usable Materials

Compression

•Plastic is sorted by type and colour then fed into the hopper.

•Larger plastic objects are broken down into small granules (<10mm).

•Granules then require washing and filtering to remove dirt, dust and impurities prior to storage and use.

Extrusion

•Shredded plastic is fed into the hopper where it is heated up along a helical rod and through a nozzle.

•The extruder can be used to produce a continuous string of filament which can be wrapped around a mould or fed through rollers to be used in 3D printing.

Injection

•The injection machine is quick and allows for small and accurate objects •Alike the Extruder, plastic is fed through the hopper and travels through a heated tube where it is compressed into a mould.

•The Mould is then cooled and the object removed.

Compression

•The compressor is a heated box used to melt the plastic, this is combined with a car jack which compresses the molten plastic between two plates •The main output is sheet plastic which can be used as is or welded with other plastic sheets to create a usable product.

PLASTIC RECYCLING DOMESTIC SCALE These precedents show that plastic can be reused within construction of almost anything from micro to macro scale.

To gain a greater understanding of the process a series of experiments were undertake at a more domestic level.

This initially started out as planning to construct a plastic extruder using open-source blueprints from Precious Plastics, this did however end up being not cost effective so a more crude method of recycling was undertaken.

PROCESS

Collecting

Cutting & Shredding

Melting

Mixing

Place in Mould

Compress Mould

Block Removed

Cutting

Sanding

•Collect waste plastics •Separate into plastic and product type (PP Boxes/HDPE Bottles/LDPE Bags) •Washing and removing of labels •Drying •Shredding (cutting up plastics in approx 1cm² sizes) •Storage of shredding to allow for further drying Following this the process was separated into two methods, one for LDPE Plastic Bags and the other for HDPE/PP

RESEARCH

LDPE •Oil is heated in a pan to 130° •Shredded plastic is added •Plastic starts to melt and shrivel up •Plastic shredding start to bind together forming a dough like consistency •Molten plastic is removed from heat and placed into a mould and left for up to 1 hour (size dependant) •Cooled plastic block is removed and ready for machining

RESEARCH

Coloured HDPE

LDPE

Coloured PP Raw Material

Following on from these precedents a number of experiments were undertaken with various plastic types using a similar domestic recycling process.

Clear HDPE

New Material

PLASTIC RECYCLING DOMESTIC SCALE

RECYCLED PLASTIC PRODUCTS The “Precious Plastics” community have an online sales area “Bazar” where makers can sell products they have made using recycled plastic. Taking this as inspiration I am proposing a series of products and building components that can used as part of the restoration and extension of the site. Being able to create these items from recycled plastic on site means any damaged or defunct components can be easily repaired or replaced without the need for support from the mainland.

Additionally this idea also provides some grounding to a quite utopian proposal.

Plastic Experiments Door Handle V1

Plastic Experiments Door Handle V2

Product Design Sketches Door Handles / Bird House / Light Fitting

RESEARCH

Plastic Experiments Site Model

Product Design Sketches Flat-pack Table / Flat-pack Chair

COLLECTING THE WASTE There are numerous potential methods of collecting waste from the river and coastal areas, many of which are tried and tested, Nets or Crates •Similar to those used for fishing •Could be placed beneath water level and stretched between the existing concrete legs or between each of the tower bases.

•Or used similarly to conventionally fishing by dragging a net over a period of time or distance to catch the floating rubbish, this may however cause disturbance to marine life Sea Bins •A product which has been implemented around multiple harbours across the world •It works by pumping water through a net which sits within a bin like form, waste is also pumped but is caught in the net, this waste is then emptied and correctly disposed of.

•The top of the bin sits above the water level, so fish and birds will not get trapped in the nets Waste Skimmer Boat •Boats are equipped with a conveyor belt mounted on the lower front of the vessel, partially submerged it.

•Waste is pulled from the water onto the conveyor where it is transferred and compacted into a storage compartment at the rear of the boat.

Drones •Both water and air based drones can be used as part of the process of collecting waste from the river WasteShark •The Wasteshark is an aquatic drone which eats rubbish floating on the waters surface •The drones can consume over 150kg of waste (the waste is floating so additional floatation for the drone is not required).

•With the correct programming, they can work 24/7 and once full can autonomously empty their waste as well as dock into a jetty to recharge.

•The underside of the Wasteshark sits 350mm approx below the water surface meaning only the floating waste can be collected.

•It has been found that fish and birds will stay away from the drone due to its size and movements

RESEARCH

Marine Drone, Elie Ahovi •The Marine Drone acts in a similar way to the WasteShark just below the surface like a submarine.

•To ensure it does not catch any marine life, the Drone emits a sonic wave which causes minor disturbance to fish.

•Alike the WasteShark it will autonomously work until full when it will return to its base point to be emptied.

Air Drones •Flying drones are currently being used by “Sky Ocean Rescue” to track the movements of waste along beaches. It is also paired up with software that allows the public to log waste they have collected.

•Flying drones in the project may be used in a similar way, to travel around the estuary finding areas high in waste.

•The will also be used to directly collect the floating waste, hovering over the water and sending down a claw to pickup the waste and returning to the towers.

•Or in partnership with a boat or floating barge, travelling together to the coastal areas. The drone will then collect the waste and deliver to the boat/barge. This method will allow for more waste to be collected in less journeys.

Top-Bottom •Sea Bins •Waste Shark •Waste Skimmer Boats •Air Drones •Marine Drones

COLLECTING THE WASTE To enable the previous devices to deliver their waste to the towers a series of mechanisms will be required to transfer waste material from sea level to the main body of the towers.

Air Drone Process •Drone travels around the river searching for large patches of floating waste •Drone collects waste and returns to towers or sends location to water drone for collection •Drone delivers waste to tower through opening roof hatch

Air Drone + Boat Process •Drones gather waste from beaches and coastal area •Drone delivers waste to boats •Crane unloads waste from Boat where it is sent to the towers for processing

Water Drone Process •Drone unloads waste •Conveyor transports it along jetty to lower tower platform •Crane takes waste up to tower for processing

Conveyors •Conveyor belts will be used to transfer waste from the drones and boats to an adjacent jetty or dock.

•These belts will flow in a series of directions along the jetty until the reach the base structure of the Towers.

•Here further belts will be placed on a slope to link the jetty level to the upper or lower external decks beneath the Towers •A crane will then be used to lift the waste up through the structure and into the Tower bodies where it will be processed.

RESEARCH

Cranes •The existing cranes on the towers can be used to retrieve waste materials as well as other goods from boats below.

Materials is lifted by the crane and pulled into the building through the existing double door, much as it would have been done during the Towers Military use.

•New cranes will also be integrated into the design of new towers and the refurbishment of the existing. Larger cranes will be mounted on the roof of the towers above the waste storage areas, they will pick up the waste from water level and drop it directly into store below the towers roof level.

Submarine Drone Process •The drone connects to a pipe beneath the water •An airlock in both the pipe and the drone open •The waste is pumped through the pipe an up to the tower

EARLY PROGRAM IDEAS Site Layout

Plastic Recycling Process

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 01

1. Collect Waste 2. Sort Plastic from other Waste 2. Sort Plastic by Type/Size/Colour 2a. Test Plastic (sample) to ensure suitable for 3D Printing 3. Washing & Decontamination 4. Drying 5. Shredding into pellets 5. Storage of pellets 6. Pellets extruded into Filament 6. New structure/Objects printed

EARLY PROGRAM IDEAS

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 01

How does the waste enter the process

Water Drone Arrival

Integrated Waste Hopper

EARLY PROGRAM IDEAS How does the waste enter the process

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 01

Waste IN

Waste In with Sorting Bays

Plastic Sorting

EARLY PROGRAM IDEAS Where is everything controlled from

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 01

Second (new)

Plant Room/Drone Tower/Central Control Section

First

PROGRAM RECYCLING PROCESS Whilst removing waste from the river and surrounding coastal areas a an underlining theme to the project, what happens to this waste is equally important.

The basic recycling process consists of sorting, shredding and cleaning prior to the plastic being used in the other workshops where it will be used to create new items such as building components or structural elements.

The majority of the process is done by machine with workers only needing to step in when there is a problem.

Large items (too big for machines) are broken down

Tower 1 Tower 2 Tower 3

Waste Seperation

Tower 4 LDPE Out

Other

Tower 5 Tower 6

HDPE Out

Other

PET Out

Tower 7

Other

Other

PP Out

Recyclable (Metal/Glass)

Shredding

Non-Recycleable (General Waste)

Washing

Sent to External Recycling Plant

Drying

PROGRAM

In Use

LDPE

HDPE/PET/PVC/PP

Heated & Compressed into Building Blocks

Extruded into Pellets & sent to Workshops

Shredding •This is undertaken by single or multi-shaft shredders or granulators.

•Multi-shaft shredders use multiple rotating blades to break down plastic.

•Granulators work with a rotary blade in a cylindrical chamber.

Washing •The plastic “flakes” require washing to remove any contaminants such as dirt, food waste, glue and paper.

•The plastic is placed in a chamber and exposed to continuous hot sprays.

•Detergents and chemicals are often used to aid the process which are later rinsed off through a separate chamber.

Drying •The flakes are dried using heated air over a fine metal grid or in an industrial sized tumble dryer.

Other

PVC Out

THE PROCESS IN DETAIL Sorting •Sensors are used to detect specific polymers or colours in a mixed group of plastic. These can either be Infrared or X-ray.

•Ejectors are used to separate chosen plastic types, either Mechanical or Air ejection is used.

•Computer systems provide algorithms to the ejectors.

Sent to Landfill or Incinerated

Palletizing •Most of the plastic (excluding LDPE) is heated and extruded into long threads of plastics and then cut into small pellets.

•The plastic can be sorted by colour prior to this to ensure a consistent batch is produced.

•The LDPE plastic is sent to a separate workshop/machine to be turned into blocks (explained earlier “ByFusion Blocks”).

Others •The non-plastic items are filtered out in the sorting processes •Recyclable materials such as glass or metal can be separated using magnets and ejectors.

•These can then be recycled in a separate part of the site or exported to the mainland for recycling •The non-recyclable materials will either be incinerated (providing additional energy) or compacted into bales and exported to the mainland for further processing.

PROGRAM SITE LAYOUT

R WE

TO

4

WE

TO

R

5

Pe o

ple

ple

o Pe

Pla

s

sti c

mp on Co

c

t en

sti

Pla

on mp

en

Co

The below site plan indicates •The location of each process •The journeys by materials (Red) •The journeys by employees (Blue) Drawing NTS (1:200@A1)

ts

There are three key aspects that have dictated the proposed layout of spaces.

•The existing site layout, this is fixed with the exception of any demolition work and new additions.

•The various stages of the recycling processes including the transportation of materials and the spatial requirements for each stage of the process.

•The journeys undertaken by staff members, including travelling between spaces for both work and leisure purposes.

TOWER 1 Shredded Plastic Sorted Plastic

Non-Plastics

People

People

People

TOWER 2

TOWER 3

PROGRAM

People

TOWER 6

N TOWER 7

PROGRAM TOWER 1 (Waste In/Sorting) •This is the first tower the waste material enters in the recycling process.

•As mentioned in previous pages, the waste is delivered here by several methods; Flying Drones, Water Drones with conveyors and pulleys and by a roof mounted crane for heavier larger deposits.

•The waste enters a large container situated on the roof of the existing tower, at the base of this is a shredder which breaks down the waste into more manageable sizes to pass through the following machines.

•The waste passes through a chute to the below floor where it enters a series of sorting machines which filters out each of the plastic types (LDPE, HDPE, PET, PP, PVC) that will be used later in the process.

•Once a type of plastic has been separated is passes down a shoot to the ground floor and into a cart which is delivered to the next tower.

PROGRAM

Conveyor Belts

Sorting Machine

Sketch Sections

PROGRAM TOWER 1 (Waste In/Sorting)

Ground Floor

First Floor

PROGRAM

Roof Plan

Second Floor

Third Floor

PROGRAM TOWER 2 (Shredding/Washing/Drying) •Following the sorting process the plastic must be further shredded in order to be used in the heated machines later in the process.

•Carts of sorted plastic enter via a platform lift on the outside of the building.

•Arriving at the top floor the plastic enters a conveyor leading to a designated shredded, the plastic is broken down into small flakes (<1cm²) which is dropped via chutes to the floor beneath.

•Four large cylindrical containers with a helical rod at the core mix heated water, cleaning fluid and the shredded plastic in order to remove contaminants such as dirt, labels, glue and dye.

•The waste water is extracted at the base and sent to Tower 7 (Plant & Drones) where it will be cleaned and sent back to be reused or into the river.

•After cleaning the plastic flakes again fall through chutes to the lower floor where they are fed into industrial sized tumble dryers and then sent via conveyor or cart to the next tower.

Drying Ground Floor

PROGRAM

First Floor

Washing

Shredding

Second Floor

PROGRAM TOWER 3 (Non Recycling Out) •After the waste has passed through the various sorting machines and all the useful plastic has been separated and sent to Tower 2, the remaining waste is sent here.

•After crossing the bridge it is lifted via platform lift to the upper floor •Here the waste travels through further sorting machines, removing other valuable recyclable materials such as metal, glass and timber.

•All these materials and the renaming waste is then dropped through shoots to the ground floor where they are fed into compactor.

•Compacted bales of each material and the waste are then sent on conveyors to the rear of the tower, here the are craned down onto an awaiting boat below which will take them back to the main land to be further processed by more specialist groups.

Ground Floor

Waste Compactor

PROGRAM

First Floor

Waste Compactor

Roof Plan

PROGRAM TOWER 4 (Workshop 1)

Extruder & Pelletizer

PROGRAM

•Shredded plastic enters via a platform lift on the outside of the building where it is taken to the top floor.

•The cart is then emptied into a hopper which is attached to the Extruder & Pelletizer, plastic flakes travel through a heated pipe where they are melted into a string of filament which is then cooled and cut into pellets.

•The Extruder and Pelletizer is mounted on a turntable, this allows it to rotate ensuring the correct type of plastic is fed into is designated hopper.

•These hoppers link to large containers on the floor below where the pellets are stored until they are required in the workshops or other parts of the site.

•The pellets fall through a pipe from the ceiling into the centre of the ground floor workshop, here workers can collect their chosen plastic then begin constructing objects with one of three key machines.

•These machines are inspired by those created by the Precious Plastic group and have been further developed to suit the site and project requirements.

•The Extruder, this produces 3D Printer Filament which can be used in a 3D printer, or it can be paired with moulds to create an array of items such as structural elements and interior design fixtures.

•The Compressor, pellets are places on a tray which is heated a compressed against a heated plate, this is used to create flat sheets of recycled plastic that can be used solely or welded together creating a 3D object.

•The Injector, similar to the extruder but vertical, molten plastic is compressed into moulds which are screwed onto the end of the heated pipe, this can produce small objects such as handles, nuts & bolts or specialist forms.

Pellet Storage

Extruder

Compressor

Injector

PROGRAM TOWER 4 (Workshop 1)

Ground Floor

First Floor

Second Floor

PROGRAM

PROGRAM TOWER 5 (Workshop 2 LDPE)

Ground Floor

First Floor

Roof Plan

PROGRAM TOWER 6 (Residential) •The residential tower is the first point of arrival for employs and visitors to the site as such safe and secure access from the water level is required. This is achieved in the form of a lift which runs between as floating platform at the water level and the roof of the tower. This lift not only provided access to people but is vital for the delivery of provisions.

•The existing ground and first floor will be refurbished ensuring suitable environmental properties. Works will include lining the existing skin (walls, floors & ceiling), replacing the windows and providing a new heating and cooling system.

•The upper floor will house dormitory styled sleeping quarters with shared bathroom facilities and storage lockers whilst the lower floor will be used for cooking, eating and leisure.

•The roof will also be refurbished, the existing searchlight mounting removed and replaced with a rooftop greenhouse complete with water tank. This greenhouse will provide a large proportion of the food and will assist in it eventually becoming a self-sufficient system.

•Other food sources will include a fish farm (segregated from the river to avoid plastic contamination) and shellfish collected from the existing concrete structures below the water level.

Ground Floor

PROGRAM

First Floor

Details of pivoting Dolphin access ramp

•Walkway floats on the water, raises or lowers depending on tide •Ramp slides up or down on a runner attached to tower legs •Ramp pivots depending on walkway level •Lift drops do level of walkway (varies)

Greenhouse at Gruningrn Botanical Gardens

Second Floor

PROGRAM TOWER 7 (Plant & Drones) •In order for the site to run successfully a suitable plant room(s) is required. Housed here will be equipment and machinery to provide power, clean water, ventilation, heating & cooling and several other services to all other towers.

•Due to the elevated nature of the site, these services will all need to be transported via pipes and ductwork which will likely hung beneath the towers and bridges and sent up the side of the buildings (conventionally hidden in walls, floors and ceilings) as such will require some architectural quality.

•The flying drones used for waste collection and mapping will also be stored here. The existing stairwell makes and ideal home for these machines providing easy access in & out of the structure, it will act like a vertical garage.

•To ensure efficient running of the drones a small workshop will be required for any routine maintenance or repair work.

•A control room will also be required, not only to control and track the location of the drones but also for the general running of the whole site.

Ground Floor

Sketch Section Drone Store

First Floor

PROGRAM

Plan showing plant transportation

Section showing plant transportation

Sketch Perspective Drone Store

Second Floor

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Site Plan

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Lower Site Plan

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Sections

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Site Model (1:200)

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

Materials Legs, Painted Timber Existing Towers, Recycled LDPE Proposed Extensions, Coloured Modelling Foam

MASTERPLAN The primary program for the project is to collect waste from the river and turn it into usable material to produce building components. As such once the collection and recycling processes have been established the site will expand through further extensions to the existing towers and new structures that are separate to the existing structure.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

New additions to the site will be implemented in phases.

Phase 1 (Diagonal Hatch) •Solar Farm, to provide further power to the site in addition to using the existing solar farm located to the north east of the site.

•Marine & Wildlife Conservation, here fish and birds affected by plastic pollution will be cared for and rehabilitated. Testing of water samples will also take place here and will determine the efficiency of the estuary clean up process.

Phase 2 (Cross Hatch) •Non plastic recycling will process and recycle other non-waste materials such as metal, glass and timber. These may be processed into new products or sent to the mainland.

•Waste recycling, instead of shipping non-recyclable materials to the mainland they could be process here, this could involve incineration or some new form of recycling or re-purposing.

•A material research unit will be required to develop recycling methods for the non plastic materials as well as further research and development into plastics.

•A new residential tower will be required due to an increased number of workers required for the additional recycling towers.

MARINE & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Whilst the primary project theme is to remove and collect waste for recycling the output of this process also equates to cleaner rivers and oceans, as such marine & wildlife conservation is a suitable program to be paired with the plastic recycling processes.

PRECEDENTS

Possible elements to the program •Research centre •Laboratories and Examination rooms to dissect and care for marine and wildlife affected by plastic pollution.

•Water testing facilities to study plastic content from various samples taken from around the estuary to determine the efficiency of the waste collection processes.

•Closed off seawater pool for marine rehabilitation •Bird houses and artificial nests to attract sea birds •Artificial ecosystems (floating & semi-submerged) for fish, sea birds and insects

Marine Research Center, Bali AVP arhitekti •Seawater pool for visitors to see endangered marine life •Part of the building is submerged to reduce the visual impact from nearby beaches, this also enables visitors and staff to get close up to marine life •During high tide part of the building intentionally floods •Form of the building takes inspiration from nearby Volcanos

Floating Villages & Fish Farms in South Asia •Floating communities coexist with marine life •Each building has its own distinct style (roof forms, external materials & scale) which enhances the local vernacular •Buildings are small and connected using raised or floating bridges and stairs and are accessed by small boats •Fish farms are segregated into small netted ponds for each stage of the fishes growth •As the platforms float on barrels as such the changing height of the tide plays little impact on the process

MARINE & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SKETCHES

Sketch Scheme V1

Sketch Scheme V2

•All rooms built around central seawater pool allowing for immediate access •Seawater pool is segregated from estuary to avoid contamination •A water based airlock or “Seagate” is used for marine life to pass between the estuary and the pool •Glass floors are integrated in some of the rooms for additional study

•All rooms are again based off the central pool, this time they are all separate removable modules (similar to the fishing villages) •This enables additional programs to be added as the site grows (masterplan) •Modules are only on to sides to provide improved access and lighting •The marine lab has an additional structure used to deliver marine life back into the estuary

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Entrance Marine Lab Bird Lab Water Testing Storage Seawater Pool

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Marine Lab Bird Lab Water Testing Research Lab Storage Seawater Pool

MARINE & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION DESIGN DEVELOPMENT The previous design for the seawater and fish farm pools were simple rectangle forms which whilst efficient lacked reference to the design of the main project and existing site.

Using the floating parks precedent and the “Plugin & Modular” project themes two options for these pools have been developed.

Site Layout 1:350@A3 Option 01 •Alike the “Floating Parks” hexagons are used and overlaid to fit between the proposed units and existing towers.

•Two sizes are used for the fish farm and marine pools.

•Workers will access these pools using bridges and walkways placed between each module.

ACCESS STAIR People

TOWER 6

TOWER 2 MARINE POOL FISH FARM

FISH FARM

WATER TESTING

MARINE LAB

FLOATING PARKS, RECYCLED ISLAND FOUNDATION •A recycling group in the Rotterdam have been collecting floating waste using litter traps (previously mentioned) and turning it into a series of plastic modules forming a floating park along the city’s river.

•The floating structure consists of several hexagonal blocks and benefits humans through its use as an urban park as well as providing a new habitat for the rivers ecosystem.

•The aim of the project was to show that recycled plastic from rivers

BIRD LAB

Option 02 •A similar shape to the existing towers (elongated octagon) was applied to areas between the proposed walkways.

•These were then stretched in multiple directions to create several sizes of pool.

•This would attract different types and sizes of marine and wildlife, whilst would also provide larger habitats as the farmed fish grow.

RESEARCH

Site Layout 1:350@A3

ACCESS STAIR People

TOWER 6

TOWER 2

MARINE POOL

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

FISH FARM

FISH FARM

Modules consist of a recessed pool and surrounding walkway, once modules are connected this walkway becomes usable.

WATER TESTING

MARINE LAB

BIRD LAB

RESEARCH

MARINE & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Site Layout NTS

ACCESS LIFT

•Option 02 has been further developed, the Bird Lab has been removed and the Research Unit moved in line with the Marine Lab. •This has provided additional space for further Marine Pools.

•All pools have been resized slightly to ensure walkways between separate ponds are of a suitable width.

•A docking area for a water drone has been added to the Water Testing Unit, allowing for drone to collect and deliver water samples.

•Internal floor plans have been developed.

People

TOWER 6

TOWER 2

MARINE POOL

FISH FARM FISH HATCHING

WATER TESTING

MARINE LAB

MARINE POOL Pools are split into larger modules each are catered to different kinds of bird, marine & wildlife depending on the location size and proposed planting.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 02

RESEARCH

Long Section through Fish hatching, Marine Lab & Water Testing

Long Section through Fish Farm & Marine Pools

TOWER EXTENSIONS Materials & Structure Translucent Cladding

Following on from the experiments with plastic recycling it was found that the natural HDPE (plastic milk bottles) became slightly translucent when cut down to less than 10mm thick.

•The new extensions could be clad in a similar materials to this.

•This would provide natural lighting to the internal space without the need for glazing.

•At night the extension would be artificially lit and due to the materials translucency the tower would be easily visible its structure would become visible, the tower could also then act like a lighthouse for the site, alerting any nearby vessels.

•As yet there are no recycled cladding products made from natural HDPE, however there are various polycarbonate and acrylic products that have similar visual properties and are partially made from recycled plastics.

Polycarbonate Panels •They can provide excellent thermal and acoustic properties •Highly weather resistant to air and water permeability, required in a marine environment •Can withstand high levels of impact •Used for curtain walling, rain-screen cladding and roofing •Combined with an ambient lighting system can improve aesthetics •Polycarbonate can be fully recycled and is often made with up to 30% recycled material in each panel

His & Her Studio by TBD Architecture

•The building consists of two intersecting structures clad in contrasting materials, steel frame with polycarbonate panels and timber frame with cedar cladding.

•The polycarbonate walls create a private and introverted space with diffused natural light whist the Timber structure provides a connection with the surrounding landscape.

•At night the Polycarbonate studio is intended to be illuminated

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

•Polycarbonate pellets are fed into an extruder which heats them up, they are then extruded through a die head in the shape of the panel.

•Sketch details and elevations for cladding system •Cladding panels are supported off plastic or steel columns •Panels are connected using tongue & groove Clear HDPE Samples backlit to indicate translucent nature similar to previous precedents.

TOWER EXTENSIONS Materials & Structure Opaque Cladding

Interlocking Block Wall Sketch Details The initial idea for this wall makeup was for a block work construction using interlocking recycled plastic bricks between steel columns. Due to low thermal value they were not suitable for a heated space in an exposed climate.

Where natural ambient lighting is less relevant and internal spaces require a higher thermal or acoustic rating, solid opaque cladding may be used.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

The cladding could be implemented in various options or colour scheme in order to differentiate between each tower use.

A thermal barrier given the thickness or just as a decorative finish.

•Option 01, Solid bricks are used, their form allows them to interlock with one another, similar to a Lego brick or the blocks made using the ByFusion process, these could be thermal, decorative and also structural when combined with steel re-bars.

Conceptos Plasticos •They have created solutions for the lack of social housing and increasing levels of waste plastic in Columbia.

•The blocks developed are similar to Lego, stacking into each other without the need for adhesion or any construction experience.

•They are stacked like conventional bricks with a specially designed frame, also made from recycled plastic.

•The blocks are used for houses, public buildings, classrooms and emergency shelters, each house can be built in around five days.

Plastic Block Experiment Models

Recycled LDPE was melted down and cast into modular stacking blocks (top) and standard bricks (bottom) placed between a structural frame.

TOWER EXTENSIONS Materials & Structure Opaque Cladding Option 02

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

â&#x20AC;¢Option 02 uses thin extruded cladding panels which are sat within a metal subframe creating a curtain wall. These panels would be ribbed vertically or horizontally, allowing for structural integrity.

Support Frame Joints

Ribbed Cladding Panels

Cladding Support Frame

Steel Frame with Tension Cables

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways The existing walkways between the towers are no longer, all that exists are the steel frames at either end where the bridges were once connected to.

New segregated walkways for both materials and people will be provided to ensure an uninterrupted process.

The design for the walkway will be modular, allowing standard components to be interchanged depending on the use The design for the walkways will consist of several steel rods or galvanised steel wires stretched between the existing walkway frames. Attached to these steels will be modular components that make up the side walls, floor plates, handrails and supports for the M&E equipment below.

They will be constructed from extruded recycled plastic in sections 100-300mm thick and will incorporate openings where the steels will connect through.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

•Section through pedestrian and materials bridge •Detail of bridge to cable •Internal bridge elevation •Section though pedestrian and materials bridge with plant pipes •Sketch showing new walkway to existing frame and decking

Axonometric shows walkway handrail and base modules connected with steel cables

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways Exploded Axonometric

150x900mm Pedestrian Walkway Side Section with handrail

1100x150mm Pedestrian Walkway Base Section with decking board

1100x150mm Pedestrian Walkway Base Section with pipe support

1100x150mm Materials Walkway Base Section with Cart Track

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

Mechanical & Electrical Pipes

25mm Galvanized Steel Cable

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways Developed Design

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

The design for the walkways have been further developed to provide ornamentation and playfulness of space.

•Below, slits are cut away in the side and roof of the walkway providing rays of light to inside.

•Below lower, extrusion or protrusions are added to each segment, when combined in a certain arrangement could create a pattern along the elevation of the walkway.

•Right, segments are given protrusions or extrusions and when placed together create a repeating pattern along the walkway.

•Right Below, horizontal or vertical protrusions provide structural rigidity to the walkway as well as adding visual appeal.

•Above, a free form shape for the walkway provides a natural shape to grip onto, it also may hold its form better in strong winds, however it does not relate to the form of the existing towers.

•Below, walkway in a hexagonal form, vertical roof members are provided at regular intervals, cables that support the bridge are exposed between these members and provide the walkway a semi enclosed quality.

TOWER EXTENSIONS Tower 6

The previous proposal for Tower 6 placed the living spaces on the ground floor with sleeping quarters on the first and in the new roof extension. This gave the most used spaces the worst lightning conditions.

The building layout was flipped, placing the living spaces in the new extension provided more flexibility to the design.

The previous proposal for the greenhouse was a square box sat on the roof which did not sit well. Its footprint was changed to match the lower floors.

Changing the footprint of the extension made a more aesthetic design, however the existing and new did not sit together well.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

Using the Wilkinson Eyre project an exoskeleton structure was formed. This was made up of several large columns on each corner of the plan.

The new extensions would then slide onto the columns.

The columns would be built taller than the current proposal (2 storey extension) to allow for the potential of future extensions.

Gas Turbine Apartments, Wilkinson Eyre

Tower 6 Exploded Axonometric

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Site Masterplan

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Site Section

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Perspective Section Tower 2 & 4

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Interim Crit Drawings Site Perspectives

Modular Block Wall Axonometric

Modular Block Wall Exploded Axonometric

TOWER EXTENSIONS Materials & Structure Residential

The previous proposal for a brick built wall construction has been developed into a more bespoke and architectural proposal.

The proposal will be applied to the new extensions to towers 6-living quarters and 7-control room.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

The proposal for this wall came flowing the design development for the elevated walkways which is constructed using extruded plastic sections placed on tensile steel cables.

Construction Method •The new roof extensions are constructed using a steel frame which forms the floor.

•Steel columns are placed at intervals along the perimeter of the plan.

•Modular interlocking blocks made from extruded recycled plastic are placed between the columns to build up the walls.

•Special blocks are used to form sill, jamb and head channels for glazing to be placed into.

•Once all blocks are in place silicone is used to close the joints between blocks to avoid water ingress.

•Blown insulation is the poured into the voids within the blocks to give the wall added thermals.

•A second skin of plastic cladding (similar to lining of ground and first floor residential) is placed on the inside face to provide a cavity for services and stop cold bridging and water ingress.

Block Jointing Strip

Extruded Modular Block

Interlocking Block Wall Sketch Details

Window Head Bock

Triple Glazed Window

Window Jamb Bock

Window Sill Bock

Modular Block Wall In-situ Perspective

Standard Bock

150mm Steel Column

Ribbed Cladding Wall Axonometric V2

TOWER EXTENSIONS Materials & Structure Workshops

Workshop Wall Exploded Axonometric

Extruded Recycled Plastic Panel

The previous proposal for the workshop towers was to fully clad the new extension with opaque cladding as the internal spaces were mostly automated so natural lighting was not required.

This has now been revised with translucent polycarbonate panels being added to provide natural lighting.

Translucent Polycarbonate Panels

The proposed wall is applied to the roof extensions of tower 2 & 4, both spaces part of the recycling process.

Curtain Wall Frame

Construction Method •Proposed extensions are constructed using a steel frame which forms the floor and roof.

•Steel columns are then placed at the corners of the plan with tensile cables stretched between these for cross bracing.

•A secondary lightweight frame is fixed between these columns.

•Horizontal and vertical curtain wall mullions are attached to this frame.

•Opaque ribbed plastic panels and translucent polycarbonate panels are placed within these.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS

Curtain Wall Frame Joints

Cladding Subframe

25mm Steel Tensile Cable 200mm Steel Column

Ribbed Cladding Wall In-situ Perspective

Walkway Single Section Exploded Axonometric

Walkway Block Axonometric

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways V2

The previous design for the walkways was developed. Using only stretched cables to support the walkway was not structurally sufficient against the weight of the structure and the effects of the wind.

The revised proposal splits the walkway into smaller sections and utilities a larger tensile structure for support.

Construction of the walkway starts off with the construction of a single section.

Made up of five separate 150mm sections of extruded recycled plastic.

16 of these sections are placed in a block (2.5m total length) and are secured together using tensile cables.

These cables are then tied to preformed steel end plates using a threaded tension fitting.

Extruded Recycled Plastic Handrail

Extruded Recycled Plastic Materials Cart Deck

Extruded Recycled Plastic Walkway Deck

20mm Steel Endplate

Extruded Recycled Plastic Handrail

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

Extruded Recycled Plastic Walkway Deck Tensile Steel Cables

Walkway Block Exploded Axonometric

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways V2 Walkway Block Group Exploded Axonometric

The walkway blocks are next brought together.

They are sat on “L” shaped beams which are hung from vertical tensile cables using tension bars that are placed between the “L” beams.

Sloping tensile cables are stretch between steel columns at either end of the bridge. Using cable clamps and tension bars the vertical cables are secured to the main sloping cables.

Walkway Bock

Below the walkway are M&E Pipes, these are supported using pipe hangers which are attached to fixing plates located between the “L” beams.

Tension Bar 20mm Steel Jointing Plate 20mm Steel “L” Beam

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

20mm Steel Jointing Plate

20mm Steel Jointing Plate

Pipe Hanger

M&E Pipes

TOWER EXTENSIONS Walkways V2

Walkway In-Situ

Walkway Sections

Galvanized Steel Tensile Cable

Tension Bar

Steel Goalpost Frame

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALKWAY

Steel Goalpost Frame

1:10 Physical Model

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Tower 1 Redesign

Comments from the previous crit were generally good however it was mentioned I had yet to design something completely new, not an extension to the existing. It was suggested either a new tower be constructed or one of the existing be demolished and redesigned.

The current design proposal for tower 1 was functional but lacked architectural merit, also the circulation at ground floor did not flow with the adjacent towers and bridges.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

The previous proposal for Tower 1 was to retain the existing structure and provide a new entrance/exit opposite to the existing.

Plastic was sorted in the upper floors and would fall from chutes into carts on the ground floor. These carts would then travel on tracks to the exit where they could be transferred to the next tower in the process. The recycling process requires both people and materials to travel back and forth between towers, as such multiple carts would be passing each other.

Circulation both within and around the buildings perimeter does not work well for this proposal.

The revised proposal removes the existing tower, only retaining the structural deck and below legs.

Removing all walls from the ground floor allows for open circulation between each tower.

To provide a simple and functional circulation for materials a central turntable is proposed, allowing carts to change direction without the need for additional tracks.

Plastic will fall from chutes from the floor above (top of plan) and then travel to the required tower.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Tower 1 Redesign

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

Tower 1 is at the core of both site and program, it should be more prominent and act as a beacon to the site.

A square footprint was dictated by the internal plan, 4 sorting machines in a loop with the waste coming in at the core.

Feature glazing was added to each corner, this not only gave workers a view it also framed the sorting machines, a key component to the entire recycling process.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Tower 1 Redesign

While the previous proposal was adventurous in relation to immediate context it was still very rudimentary.

Taking inspiration from the sloping columns supporting the main deck, similar but more exaggerated columns were mirrored above as a means of supporting the new structure to tower 1.

The design of these columns was then increased into the above building, forming an exoskeleton that was both structural and aesthetic.

The design was again moved up a level, now exploring the proposal for the rooftop waste hopper. Lines formed by the exoskeleton were stretched, mirrored and rotated until a suitable visual form was met.

TOWER EXTENSIONS Cranes

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

As the existing structures are all elevated above the water cranes or other similar machines are required to transport materials between water level and the towers.

This will include transporting the waste gathered by the water drone as well as sending the non-plastic waste to the mainland by boat.

Two types of crane are required, one mounted on the top of Tower 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Waste inâ&#x20AC;? and a smaller unit possible on several other towers.

Having settled on a design for the new structure and hopper, these same design process was required for the crane.

Taking precedent from the Future Systems drawing (below) several iterations were made.

Progressive Laboratory, Future Systems

While this drawing may not be a crane is has similar mechanical and structural features. The design aesthetic also relates well the existing site and proposed new structures.

The intention for the proposed crane to Tower 1 is to form something similar which could be adapted for different uses. Primary use to move waste from the water level container to the rooftop hopper.

TOWER EXTENSIONS Water Tanks

The new water tanks plays reference to the of exoskeleton and hopper on tower 1.

The design started with mirrored free-form curves, due to the proportions of the tank this started to look like an egg timer.

Lines were made more angular, referencing the adjacent precedent and more geometric design themes.

The previous proposal for the water tanks above tower 2 & 5 were conventional. Now there has been significant design change to tower 1 it makes sense these tanks replicate a similar design ethos.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 03

Water Tank Precedents

Previous Design Proposal