{"id":11031,"date":"2026-01-18T13:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/18\/pretty-plastic-clads-timber-laboratory-building-in-upcycled-plastic-tiles\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T13:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T13:34:28","slug":"pretty-plastic-clads-timber-laboratory-building-in-upcycled-plastic-tiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/18\/pretty-plastic-clads-timber-laboratory-building-in-upcycled-plastic-tiles\/","title":{"rendered":"Pretty Plastic clads timber laboratory building in upcycled plastic tiles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Exterior<\/div>\n

Dutch manufacturer Pretty Plastic<\/a> has created the facade for Plus Ultra III, the first timber laboratory building in the Netherlands, using tiles made from recycled<\/a> post-consumer plastic waste.<\/span><\/p>\n

Located on Wageningen University and Research Campus in central Netherlands, the building was designed by Dutch studio Proof of the Sum<\/a> and developed by lab operator Kadans Science Partner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Facade
Plus Ultra III is the first timber laboratory in the Netherlands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It has a load-bearing structure that was almost entirely constructed from engineered timber and a facade clad in Basic Third, a cladding material developed by the Pretty Plastic<\/a> company started by architects Overtreders W<\/a> and Bureau SLA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 8,500-square-metre building is covered in the tiles, which were made from 30,987 kilograms of post-consumer plastic waste.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up
It was clad in recycled plastic tiles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The Basic Third cladding was developed as a highly practical and scalable facade system,” Pretty Plastic co-founder Hester van Dijk told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“Its overlapped shingle configuration allows for fast and straightforward installation, while the tile dimensions are specifically suited to the construction logic of laboratory and utility buildings.”<\/p>\n

The tiles, which are replaceable, were installed using an overlapping shiplap-style system.<\/p>\n

“The tiles are mechanically fixed with screws to a timber batten system, creating a robust, replaceable and efficient connection to the timber structure,” Van Dijk said.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Pretty Plastic makes the tiles from 100 per cent recycled PVC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Basic Third is Pretty Plastic’s third plastic-tile design. It has a simplified installation method compared to its previous products.<\/p>\n

In order to be more suitable for broader architectural expression, the designers also gave it a more restrained surface expression. Van Dijk thinks that this version of the upcycled plastic tiles has strong potential for wider use.<\/p>\n