Pretty Plastic installs recycled plastic façade on Dutch engineered timber laboratory

Dutch manufacturer Pretty Plastic has completed the first application of its recycled plastic façade system on an engineered timber laboratory building in the Netherlands, providing a practical example of how circular economy materials and modular timber construction can be combined within a single project. (credit all images Pretty Plastic)

The project, Plus Ultra III, is located on the Wageningen University & Research campus and was developed by Kadans Science Partner. Designed by Dutch architecture studio Proof of the Sum, the 8,500 square metre building provides laboratory, pilot plant and office space and is understood to be the first timber-framed laboratory in the Netherlands to use a façade made entirely from recycled post-consumer plastic.

Circular façade on a timber structure

At the core of Plus Ultra III is a hybrid construction approach. The building’s primary load-bearing structure is made almost entirely from engineered timber, including cross-laminated timber, while the external envelope is clad in Pretty Plastic’s ‘Basic Third’ façade tiles. In total, 30,987 kilograms of post-consumer plastic waste were used to manufacture the tiles installed on the building.

According to Pretty Plastic, the system was developed to meet the performance requirements associated with laboratory buildings, including durability, fire performance and weather resistance. “The Basic Third cladding was developed as a highly practical and scalable façade system,” said Pretty Plastic co-founder Hester van Dijk. “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.”

The tiles are mechanically fixed with screws to a timber batten system, creating a robust and replaceable connection to the underlying structure. This detailing allows individual tiles to be removed, replaced or reused without disturbing the timber frame, supporting a demountable façade strategy.

Manufacturing from post-consumer waste

Pretty Plastic’s façade products are manufactured from 100 per cent recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC), sourced from post-consumer construction waste such as window frames, drainpipes and gutters. The manufacturing process uses these mixed waste streams to produce tiles with subtle variation in colour and surface texture.

Production is carried out using a custom-built machine park designed to process recycled plastic into building components that meet regulatory and technical requirements. The ‘Basic Third’ system represents the company’s third-generation façade product, featuring a simplified mould and installation method compared with earlier designs. Its modular dimensions are intended to reduce cutting waste and improve efficiency during installation.

The tiles are fully fire certified and achieve a Class B fire rating under NEN-EN 13501-1, enabling their use on permanent buildings across a range of typologies.

Watch their Easy Installation Guide

Origins in circular construction thinking

Pretty Plastic was established in 2015 by designers Reinder Bakker and Hester van Dijk of Overtreders W, together with architect Peter van Assche of bureau SLA. The company emerged from an investigation into household plastic waste and how discarded materials could be reintroduced into the built environment as long-life construction products.

Early applications focused on small-scale interior projects before the system was tested at larger scale, including the People’s Pavilion at Dutch Design Week 2017. Subsequent development concentrated on refining the system for permanent commercial and institutional buildings.

Blended material strategy

At Plus Ultra III, the recycled plastic façade is combined with an engineered timber structure, alongside solar panels, geothermal energy storage and nature-inclusive site design measures. The timber structure contributes to reduced embodied carbon, while the façade system diverts plastic waste from landfill and remains recyclable at end of life.

The project shows how circular façade systems and engineered timber structures can be combined within a permanent, performance-driven building, applying demountable and modular principles to a complex laboratory environment without reliance on temporary or experimental construction approaches.

Find the Plus Ultra III project HERE