Plastic Pavilion | TERROIR

The 2023 UIA World Congress of Architects featured ten “Copenhagen Pavilions”. This pavilion was located on a critical site in central Copenhagen – Gammelstrand, or old beach, which for years was the site of fish markets bought on small boats. Noting the confluence of plastic waste and damage to marine ecosystems, we envisaged the project as a “cloud” of “good plastic” to counter the plastic island that now inhabit our oceans and in doing so, challenge mainstream con¬ceptions of sustainability by examining the role that plastic might play as we transition to a decarbonized economy.

Plastic has largely been written out of these discussions yet we all still need it, especially when we are in hospital, for example. Methods for recycling and upcycling and re-using the plastic in circulation are required. The pavilion structure and exhibition showcases innovative new products that can substitute materials with greater CO2 emissions.