Re-P-Tile
Recycling PVC into a façade Tile
Student:
Mentors:
Ramya Kumaraswamy
Telesilla Bristogianni
Olga Ioannou
The thesis “Re-P-Tile” focuses on the challenges that hinder the recycling process, specifically targeting the PVC waste stream in the construction and demolition industry. The aim of the thesis is to find alternative utilization paths of this waste, by crafting architectural products.
After conducting a literature review on plastic waste management in Europe and interviewing industry and research experts, the study narrowed its focus to PVC because of its significant waste generation, especially from windows and pipes. The thesis investigates transforming this waste into architectural cladding components. Experiments were conducted to analyse the composition and thermal behaviour of the recycled PVC waste stream. Using a heat press, tiles were fabricated by heating the material just before degradation and applying pressure to form the tile. The experiments focused on optimising production parameters such as heat, pressure, dwell time, shred size and compositional variation. Flexural strength tests and microscopic analysis of fracture surfaces were conducted to understand the material strength and the cause of failure.
Results suggest that the recycled material offers similar material strength compared to pure plastic but has a distinctive brittle failure pattern. It also offers environmental benefits compared to conventional materials and provides design freedom for artistic expression on building exteriors.