RECLAIMING OCEAN PLASTICS : An Architectural Approach to Incorporating Ocean Plastic Waste within the Built Environment

The global ocean plastic crisis - estimated to exceed 200 million tons - represents not only a severe environmental threat but also a latent material resource. This thesis explores how ocean-recovered plastics, typically unsuitable for conventional recycling due to degradation, can be reimagined within architectural practice as meaningful tectonic, aesthetic, and activist elements. By intentionally incorporating these materials into design, the thesis argues that architecture can become a site of environmental activism, where visible reuse challenges conventional notions of value, permanence, and material ethics. It situates the construction industry, responsible for roughly 25% of global plastic consumption, as a critical player in reshaping plastic’s narrative from pollutant to potential. Through analysis of case studies and material experimentation, the research examines diverse strategies for integrating degraded plastics, from incorporating it into structural blocks and paving units to insulation and concrete aggregates. These findings culminate in a speculative design proposal: a community center in Bagnoli, southern Italy, constructed using approximately 130 tons of site-recovered ocean plastic. The design explores how such materials can generate new tectonic expressions, spatial languages, and symbolic meanings. Rather than concealing their origins, the proposal makes the recovered plastic’s presence visible, transforming waste into a medium for public discourse and environmental repair. This thesis advocates for the integration of ocean plastics into the built environment as an alternative to continued pollution or landfill disposal, positioning architecture as an active agent against marine environment degradation.