Plastic Architecture: An Architectural Response to the Discarded

The focus of this thesis is to explore the potential of using recycled plastic waste in building, and how that can affect or influence the evolution of the architectural record. What is being investigated are the possible applications of recycled plastic as a building material. The method of application being considered is that of 3D printing technologies. The connection made between the research around plastics, understanding how plastics can be recycled and reused, and how that can lead to a particular architectural approach based on the characteristics of the material and the characteristics of the form being adopted, has led to reimagined ways of using discarded plastics through the utilization of emerging 3D printing methods and robotics technologies. Research outcomes are expected to be extrapolations from what has been done to what could be done. It is a look at what developing technologies have achieved, and then taking these ideas further to explore alternative ways to use recycled plastics as a building material.