Pretty Plastic

Imagine a shipping container filled with household plastic waste. At the same time, a municipality approaches you to design a temporary pavilion for a city park. The solution seems obvious, right? For the designers at Overtreders W and bureau SLA, this challenge sparked the creation of sustainable facade tiles made from household plastic waste.

If you attended Dutch Design Week in 2017, you likely saw these tiles on the facade of the temporary People’s Pavilion, built by Overtreders W and bureau SLA at Ketelhuisplein. The pavilion received international media attention, and architects worldwide took notice. This momentum led to the official founding of Pretty Plastic, which has since refined its product to use PVC—commonly found in rain gutters, pipes, and plastic window frames, and notoriously difficult to recycle. Today, these tiles can be found on building facades in the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Denmark, the United States, and Mayotte.

The initiators

Overtreders W

Spatial design studio Overtreders W specializes in temporary pavilions with lasting impact. Since their projects are often designed for short-term use, they also focus on what happens to building materials after dismantling. This approach to radical sustainability frequently inspires other players in the construction industry.

In 2017, Overtreders W and bureau SLA developed the People’s Pavilion for Dutch Design Week—a structure made entirely from borrowed materials. This project is now regarded as a leading example of circular construction.

More information: overtreders-w.nl.

bureau SLA

Architecture firm bureau SLA is a team of architects, builders, and sustainability experts. In addition to external projects, they focus on innovation and experimentation, exploring materials, sustainability, waste streams, and smart living & working solutions. Their work contributes to social transitions, including a hemp-based housing complex for artists and an affordable prefab housing system using bio-based materials.

More information: bureausla.nl.

The inspiration behind Pretty Plastic

The story of Pretty Plastic began with a request from the Municipality of Amsterdam for a temporary pavilion in Noorderpark. Overtreders W and bureau SLA had previously been involved in a waste separation project in the same neighborhood, which left them with a shipping container full of household plastic waste. They decided to use this material for facade tiles in the pavilion’s design, leading them to ask: Why do we produce so much plastic waste without a sustainable way to repurpose it?

Turning household plastic waste into facade tiles seemed like a great idea—but how do you actually make them? Recycling companies were hesitant to collaborate, as the mixed plastic waste could contaminate their production lines. However, this challenge led to an inventive solution: a self-built mini-recycling system made from old dishwashers. Although the pavilion in Amsterdam never materialized, the concept of plastic facade tiles was intriguing enough to showcase at Dutch Design Week. In 2016, a small wall made of these tiles appeared at Strijp-S in Eindhoven. The tiles didn’t even look like plastic; they resembled natural stone. Tim Vermeulen, then-director of Dutch Design Foundation, invited Overtreders W and bureau SLA to design a temporary pavilion for Dutch Design Week 2017.

The process

The idea

The facade of the People’s Pavilion featured 9,000 plastic tiles—far too many to produce using a homemade recycling setup. Overtreders W and bureau SLA revisited recycling companies, this time armed with experience. Eventually, Govaplast, a manufacturer specializing in recycled plastics, agreed to collaborate. With proper funding, the team commissioned a custom injection mold, a crucial tool for producing high-quality plastic tiles. The raw material was still household plastic waste, and in the lead-up to Dutch Design Week 2017, Eindhoven residents and other supporters even donated their own plastic waste via Dutch Design Foundation.

The People’s Pavilion gained significant attention in the international media and won multiple awards, including the 2018 Dutch Design Awards, Frame Award for Sustainability, and Arc ’18 Innovation Award. Architects eagerly began incorporating the tiles into their own designs. However, Overtreders W and bureau SLA were focused on research and innovation—not large-scale production. It was time for the next step.

The plan

The People’s Pavilion was a test case for large-scale tile production and their use in a temporary building. However, applying them to permanent structures required meeting strict safety standards, especially for fire resistance. During Dutch Design Week, the team collaborated with the Eindhoven Fire Department to ensure safety through exit routes. For permanent buildings, however, the product itself had to meet rigorous fire safety regulations.

Implementation

The newly established Pretty Plastic team researched which plastic waste streams could meet these requirements while also aligning with their own sustainability goals. PVC emerged as the ideal choice—it’s highly fire-resistant and notoriously difficult to reuse. Plus, there’s an overwhelming amount of PVC waste worldwide. Pretty Plastic repurposes a fraction of this waste into a sustainable facade solution.

Over three years, the team refined the tile into a product that met construction industry standards. From that point, Pretty Plastic’s business took off. Overtreders W and bureau SLA remain shareholders and creative directors, while Pretty Plastic’s dedicated team manages its day-to-day operations.

Results

Slangen + Koenis Architecten designed the new Tongelreep swimming complex in Eindhoven. They had been interested in Pretty Plastic since seeing it at Dutch Design Week 2017. Given Eindhoven’s strong ties to design and innovation, the architects integrated the tiles into their project. Subtle color variations create a dynamic, playful facade—perfectly reflecting the movement and fluidity of water. Pretty Plastic advised the architects on color distribution and installation, ensuring a smooth and even enjoyable process for the builders.

Pretty Plastic continues to grow, recently launching Second High, a tile for prefab construction, and Basic Third, a budget-friendly version of its original tile.