EINDHOVEN – In a world where the construction industry is limited in its recycling abilities and over half of a demolition debris can’t be re-used, Bureau SLA & Overtreders W challenge it by designing a pavilion with a circular economy in mind. It is not often enough that architects think of where materials will go at the end of a building’s life.

Here, the entirety of the People’s Pavilion – a central piece at this year’s Dutch Design Week – is borrowed and will be returned to the owners, including Eindhoven residents. For this week only, the pavilion will host hundreds of visitors as a meeting place and as a venue for music and theatre.

Twelve concrete piles outline the perimeter of the 250 sq-m pavilion, owned by the IJB group. Above are 19 wooden frames - borrowed from the Stiho group - held together with steel straps. Glazed at the bottom, the space in-between the wooden frames above – a total height of eight meters is achieved - is filled with a colourful array of plastic tiles. These tiles are made of recycled plastic household waste, collected largely by Eindhoven residents. At the end of the Dutch Design Week, these tiles, borrowed in one shape and transformed into a new personalised and unique form, will be gifted back to the habitants of the city.

The concept of having literally everything returned or given unharmed meant that there can be no screws, glue, drills, or saws. It reveals a different take on sustainable building where the architects worked closely with the residents of the city, the suppliers and producers of materials, and Arup for the design of the wooden frame structure.

The Dutch Design Week starts on 21st October 2017 and will go on until 29th October. Considered to be the largest and most prominent design event in Northern Europe, it is a platform for makers and creators from all over the world. At its heart, the People’s Pavilion showcases a bright future for architecture and how it can contribute to a new circular economy of re-use and sustainability.