About the project
Dress for the Weather’s and University of Strathclyde, Department of Architecture’s collaborative research on ‘PPE Material Flows’ explores and identifies the potential for open loop re-manufacturing of NHS Scotland classified ‘low-risk’ PPE waste to construction products. With a focus on the building industry, the aim is to find proposals that lock-in plastic PPE waste to materials for architectural purposes for an extended period before being reintroduced to waste or recycling streams again. This focus very much plays to the Glasgow-based architecture studio’s practice interests.
Parallel to their research into opportunities for remanufacturing of the materials into a range of uses, and to act as proof of concept, Dress for the Weather undertook DIY material tests in studio and with other studios. They commissioned Glasgow-based Still Life design workshop to create a bespoke top for their low stools using an existing mould, made from 200 LDPE healthcare aprons. For Still Life, this is a departure as they currently recycle HDPE from bottle tops with recycling machines built using designs from Precious Plastic.
The stool top is proof of concept for working with other architectural surfaces in the same way. Dress for the Weather’s next step is to design a prototype healthcare interior using products with 100% recycled material derived from waste PPE.
Research funded by the Scottish Institute for Remanufacturing and Zero Waste Scotland.
