Transforming Ocean Plastics into 3D Printed Islands - A Speculative Project for Areas Suffering from Rising Sea Levels

This thesis investigates the architectural potential of transforming ocean plastics into 3D printed islands. Purely speculative, the project proposes an alternative use for excess plastics that can positively impact the environment. Two interventions are proposed: The Factory is a structure positioned in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It takes advantage of the ocean’s natural currents to collect and prepare plastics for 3D printing. The second, The Islands, are the 3D printed product of The Factory and the focus of the thesis. They are envisioned to be dispatched to areas suffering from rising sea levels for land reclamation. Emphasis is placed on designing a form that maximizes the ecological opportunity for biodiversity both within aquatic and terrestrial environments. The creation of multiple islands using ocean plastics begins to put a scale to the catastrophic amount of pollution. Prototypes are developed to test criteria of interest and inform the design direction.