Reuse of plastic as a building product

Abstract

This report encompasses a graduation project submitted to fulfil the requirements for the title of Master of Science at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology. This research was conducted to find an alternative use for waste plastic as building components, specifically for the residents of an IDP camp within the federal capital territory of Nigeria, Abuja. Shelter is a fundamental human right, and everyone deserves to have a home that gives them safety and comfort. Humans have created a consumption-driven system that widens the divide between very low-income earners and the rest of society. Thus, the housing systems used in these camps are of the lowest quality. Another problem facing the country is plastic waste. Plastic waste is a global problem that is particularly evident within Nigeria. Without a proper large scale waste management system, the plastic ends up in water bodies or landfills and contributes to environmental degradation. Therefore, strategies for recycling plastic effectively and efficiently need to be developed. This research aims to provide a possible solution for both issues. Although the materials used for the housing are of low quality, the residents themselves are pretty resourceful in terms of adapting their resources to suit their needs, efficiency of building techniques and spatial arrangements. Therefore, they serve as an essential knowledge source to derive recycling methodologies for sustainable building. A standardized system for building components from plastic waste is designed and developed within this research. These building components require low-income technology for production, and the camp residents could use them to generate income for the IDP camps and low-income earners. The findings within this report will be based on literature research, testing and on-site analysis of an IDP in Abuja and with a specific focus on the Kuchingoro IDP camp in Abuja, Nigeria .