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The Story of the World's Largest Floating Plastic Island (and What to Do With It)

Environmental issues urgency and increasing temperatures on the planet are nothing new. There are many factors contributing to environmental degradation. However, two can be viewed as representative of critical points in the current world system: plastic and waste disposal, better known as garbage.

The environmental crisis cannot be attributed solely to these two examples. They are used here as examples to mobilize issues involving multiple agents, materials, and diverse methods. These issues lead to devastating consequences, increasingly irreversible.

3D Printing With Thermoplastics Creates a Folding System That Controls Light Temperature

The roof of Euston Station in London is the large-scale architectural setting for the virtual application of the comprehensive Metaplas system, created by students from the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. As part of an investigation carried out in Research Cluster 8 (RC8) of the Master's program in Architectural Design, students developed a 3D printed multimaterial system from biodegradable and recyclable thermoplastics. Transforming a series of flat panels into complex three-dimensional forms, students created a structural system with geometric folds that allows for passive control of the lighting of interior spaces.

This 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night

The Solar Bytes pavilion, designed by assistant professor at Kent State University Brian Peters, is a temporary structure which highlights the potential of new techniques available to architecture: robotic arms, 3D printing, smart technologies such as lighting sensors, and solar energy.

Leveraging the strength and range of motion of a robotic arm, the pavilion was printed in three dimensions with an experimental extruder, resulting in a structure composed of 94 unique modules that capture energy during the day, and shine at night. After their initial function, the plastic modules making up the pavilion will be completely crushed and reused in a new structure.

This 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night - SustainabilityThis 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night - SustainabilityThis 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night - SustainabilityThis 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night - SustainabilityThis 3D Printed Pavilion Provides Shade During the Day and Illuminates at Night - More Images+ 10