modular wmc
Johannes Düber
The main focus of the design is its adaptability to the context. Some very small islands may not need more than the waste separation unit whereas bigger islands might also want to incorporate an office and workshops for local recycling businesses. Envisioned as a modular
building system the proposal can therefore be easily adjusted to the local requirements in terms of size and variety of functions. The appearance of the building is reminiscent of historic maldivian architecture. Next to the aesthetic aspects it also brings many benefits in terms of climate performance. The building is designed to use as little energy as possible to operate and maintain a comfortable indoor climate.
Since the Maldives doesn’t have any own natural resources for building materials, recycledplastic is used to build the WMC. A new factory is set up on Thilafushi, the waste island, to transform the plastic waste into standardized plastic pipes. These plastic pipes are then drilled and cut to size. On the islands they can be assembled and connected using plastic pegs and ropes. The finished buildings are propped up by a framework enclosing recycled plastic tanks which allow the house to float in case of a flooding.