Minus 90

It is the goal of this project situated on the Mekong River to reduce plastic waste in our oceans by preventing it to reach the open seas. It proposes to create an assembly aiming at diverting, collecting and recycling the waste it carries, create new economic opportunities by using the recycled material and educate the public to responsibly use plastic.

Minus90 aims to rid the Mekong river of the plastic waste it carries. It does so by creating an assembly aiming at diverting, collecting and recycling waste as well as educate on the responsible use of plastic. A wing positioned vertically in the river allows for a diversion of the river flow. In doing so it redirects plastic it carries towards the circular recycling facility erected partially above the waters. The extracted new material can be used for numerous applications giving the once disposed plastic a new life. The facility is deliberately conceptualized as a circular building. With its circular shape Minus90 embodies the use and reuse of our natural resources thus beeing a symbol of a circular economy. The function of the building is reflected in its form. Minus90 is not just about creating yet another industrial building. Minus90 is about setting a signal: in the structure of the facility, in the design language and in the materials used. With its educational outreach Minus 90 urges people to rethink their use of plastic and the way they dispose of the material after use. The project helps to change our awareness for the environment and to induce a more responsible use of plastic. Thus adressing a very problematic issue, the turns into a journey of discovery and new opportunities. Minus90 is about creating and developing environmental awareness where it is poorly developed and where pollution is omnipresent. Solving serious environmental problems can not be achieved by one discipline alone. Interdisciplinary thinking and working is imperative to meet the challenges of today. Thus, Minus90 proposes to bring together creative and imaginative minds of all disciplines to meet one of the greatest environmental challenges we face in our times: to reduce plastic pollution of that blue oasis we still can call our living oceans.