Maxaquene Txombene By Johan Mottelson, Remígio Chilaule, Jakob Kisker, and Celso Machaieie

from Ph.d.-afhandling: Johan Mottelson - Out of Control

by Det Kongelige Akademi - Arkitektur, Design, Konservering

References

MAXAQUENE TXOMBENE

Maxaquene Txombene is a public space project in Maputo, Mozambique utilizing recycled plastic as the primary construction material. The project transformed an old defunct drinking water fountain into a shaded recreational space in the centrally located informal settlement of Maxaquene A. The structure was built of beams produced of recycled plastic waste and the concrete blocks used in the landscape design were cast in reclaimed five-liter water bottles. Thereby, the project sought to advance the principles of circular economy in construction while discussing the cultural heritage in the informal settlements in Maputo. The project was carried out in collaboration with Remígio Chilaule and students from the Faculty of Architecture and Physical Planning, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane and Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Landscape, The Royal Danish Academy.

In Maputo, more than 75% of the population lives in informal settlements. The public space in these areas is typically in poor conditions due to the extra-legal status of the neighborhoods and consequent lack of public investments in infrastructure. Nevertheless, the public space plays a crucial role for social life in these settlements, as the residents and particularly children spend much of their free time outside their homes. This project sought to improve the quality of a small public space in this context.

The government built a number of public water fountains, supplying the informal settlements of Maputo with drinking water in the 1980s. Today, most households have direct access to drinking water and the water fountains are defunct. However, these fountains remain a part of the cultural heritage and are typically located in small public spaces, where people used to stand in line to fetch water. The project sought to discuss the cultural heritage by adding a new use to one of these old structures. The old water basins were filled with concrete and plastered, providing a smooth surface for sitting. A light roof structure and a backrest were added to the old fountain, providing shade in the hot climate. Finally, a crumbling open drainage passing through the public space was renovated in order to improve the sanitary conditions.

Billions of plastic bottles are produced each year and only a small fraction is recycled, compromising sustainable development. Plastic is a pollutant, as it is not easily degraded by the environment. However, as it does not rot or rust, it is also a desirable construction material. The project utilized plastic beams made of recycled plastic waste, thus pioneering the use of plastic as a structural component in construction in Mozambique. The concrete blocks used in the landscape design were cast in reclaimed five-liter plastic bottles. The smooth-surfaced concrete blocks thus appear as petrified water bottles, both referring to the water-themed old fountain and the drainage as well as underscoring the point about recycling plastic. On this basis, the project discusses issues related to the cultural heritage in the informal settlements as well as the circular economy in the construction sector in Mozambique.

Defunct water fountain transformed into recreational public space

Structure made of recycled plastic

Plastic waste experiments

The plastic beams utilized in Maxaquene Txombene were produced in a plastic recycling workshop established in Maxaquene in collaboration with Jakob Kisker and Celso Machaieie. The initiative seeks to utilize recycled plastic waste as a construction material and thereby advance the principles of circular economy in the construction sector in Maputo. In the informal settlements of Maputo, the quality of construction is often low and the lifespan of buildings is generally short. Much of the wood used in construction has particularly short lifespans due to humid climate, decay, fungi, and infestation by insects. In parallel with the challenges in the built environment, plastic waste is widespread in low-income areas in Maputo. There are limited initiatives to handle or recycle plastic waste, leading to pollution of the environment. On this basis, the initiative is currently seeking to develop construction methods utilizing plastic waste as a building material. The initiative has established a small production unit in Maputo testing components for construction made out of recycled plastic.

Plastic recycling is a relatively simple process including few steps. Different types of plastics have different properties as well as different melting and boiling points. It is advisable to sort the plastic before it is recycled as toxic fumes can develop when some types of plastic are heated above the boiling point. The sorted plastic is cleaned in order to ensure the quality of the product and not damage the machines. Production of plastic beams requires a plastic shredder and a plastic extruder. The plastic shredder cuts larger pieces of plastic into smaller pieces, which is necessary for the later production process. The extruder compresses the smaller plastic pieces through a screw in a heated pipe that melts and compresses the plastic into a mold with the dimensions of the plastic beam. As plastic has a fairly low melting point compared to other construction materials, structures made of plastic will easily collapse in the case of a fire. Accordingly, the fire hazard issues exclude using plastic for indoor structural purposes. However, the resistance to the environment makes it ideal for public space furniture, façade cladding, or sanitation design. New prototypes for such usage are under development. The prototyping process highlighted that bottle caps (high-density polyethylene, HDPE) are suited for producing beams while plastic wrap and plastic bags (low-density polyethylene, LDPE) is suited for producing plastic sheets or tiles for roofing or façade cladding. The project underscores the necessity to transform our contemporary linear production model into a circular economy, whereby waste is recycled instead of accumulating in the landfills.