Dear Plastic II builds on the work developed in the previous semester, where students created construction systems using post-consumer plastic waste. Rather than starting from scratch, this course focuses on adapting, refining, and integrating those systems into a coherent architectural proposal.
The central challenge is the design of public restrooms, a program that introduces real-world constraints such as hygiene, durability, accessibility, maintenance, and vandal resistance. Students will work with references from The Tokyo Toilet initiative, which redefines public toilets as inclusive, carefully designed urban infrastructures with strong social and architectural value.
A key emphasis of the course is the compatibility and integration of construction systems. Individual components must evolve from isolated prototypes into a coordinated building system, addressing connections, tolerances, and assembly logic. At the same time, projects must align with industrial production principles, ensuring that all elements are manufacturable using established plastic processes such as injection molding.
Through this process, plastic waste is approached not only as a material problem, but as a construction resource. The course explores how architecture can absorb, stabilize, and transform plastic into long-lasting public infrastructure, extending its life cycle while delivering tangible social value.