Building Circular
From Ambition to Reality
How can circular ambition become built reality? This Lab Talk in collaboration with Pretty Plastic as part of the LOOPTOPIA festival explores how innovative circular materials can move from experiment to construction practice – and what it takes to overcome the technical, practical and collaborative hurdles along the way.
© Maarten van Apeldoorn
Date: Sat., 14.11.2026, 17:00
Place: Aedes, Christinenstr. 18–19, 10119 Berlin
Registration: www.eventbrite.de
The event will take place in English and partly in German. Admission is free.
Introduction
How can circular ambition become built reality? What does it take for innovative circular materials to actually find their way into building projects? Where do the design, technical and practical hurdles lie, and how can architects, material developers and clients overcome them together?
Three short contributions approach these questions from different, complementary perspectives. MVRDV present the office and neighbourhood building MONACO in Munich’s Werksviertel and speak about the practice’s stance on circular construction and about the opportunities and challenges of introducing new materials into a large-scale project.
Peter van Assche, partner at bureau SLA and co-founder of Pretty Plastic, speaks from the perspective of the circular architect and material developer: about the path from design experiment to reliable building product, and about the attitudes and conditions a circular building practice requires, drawing on his recent publication Architects with Attitudes.
Roy Pype of Proof of the Sum offers insight into planning practice through the research building Plus Ultra III in Wageningen, for which Proof of the Sum and Pretty Plastic jointly developed the new façade tile Basic Third. He describes how a project-specific idea became a new building product, how the client and other stakeholders were won over, and which practical hurdles had to be cleared before it could be built.
Following the contributions, Bettina von Stamm leads a conversation with the speakers about the decisions, resistance and experiences behind the projects. What worked? Where were the greatest difficulties? What role do trust, collaboration and the willingness to take risks play? And what would need to change for circular materials to become a matter of course in building practice?
ABOUT PRETTY PLASTIC
Pretty Plastic produces cladding tiles made from 100% recycled PVC waste, sourced from old building materials such as window frames and drainpipes. This sustainable and aesthetic material is used in architectural projects worldwide that aim for circular construction.
Programme
Welcome
Dunya Bouchi, Aedes, Berlin
Inputs
Jasmin Dieterle-Proesel, MVRDV, Berlin
Peter van Assche, Founder, bureau SLA, Co-founder, Pretty Plastic
Roy Pype, Director/Founder, Proof of the Sum, Amsterdam
Dialogue and Discussion
moderated by Dr. Bettina von Stamm, Senior Expert Sustainability
In collaboration with
