Exploring MVRDV's Mega Mat: A Recycled Plastic Installation for Bangkok Design Week 2025Save this picture!MVRDV Mega Mat Installation at Bangkok Design Week. Image Depth of FieldMVRDV has recently completed Mega Mat, a temporary installation for public gatherings and performances made from recycled plastic mats. Created for Bangkok Design Week, the joint goal of the architects and the Thai Creative Economic Agency was to design a space that also raises awareness about plastic waste and recycling in Thailand. The result is an infographic public space that, in addition to featuring bright, eye-catching colors, follows a color-coded system to organize information about the country's plastic waste processing. Mega Mat takes recycled plastic to reinterpret an everyday household item: the Sua, or mat, on which Thai families have been sitting for generations. This fresh take on a familiar object showcases the potential of using recycled plastic in daily life, embodied in a versatile public space now installed in the heart of Bangkok.Save this picture!Bangkok Design Week is one of Southeast Asia's largest design festivals, featuring around 400 design and creativity programs from more than 2,000 participants and attracting over 400,000 visitors each year. Celebrated in creative districts, the festival presents works ranging from experimental projects to designs with social and business impact. Bangkok Design Week 2025 (BKKDW2025) marks the event's eighth edition, running from February 8 to 23 under the theme "Design Up+Rising." Exhibitors are invited to demonstrate how design can help people adapt, solve problems, and tackle contemporary challenges while elevating the discipline's social and cultural value. Within this context, MVRDV's Mega Mat is installed at Lan Khon Mueang Town Square, outside the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority City Hall.The installation spans 875 square meters and consists of over 500 recycled plastic mats. A total of 532 modular pieces, woven with a traditional Thai textile pattern, come together to create a supersized Sua for the entire city. Each module measures 1.8 by 0.9 meters, transforming the square into a flexible space for various events, from dance and yoga to markets and concerts. In contrast to the concrete pavement, the mat provides a soft surface where people can walk barefoot, sit, lie down, read, or play. Additionally, one corner of the mat is elevated to incorporate an exhibition area, which details the history of plastic waste and recycling while also explaining the color code featured on the Mega Mat. Related Article What If Every Brick Had a Future? Rethinking Demolition and Material Reuse in the Circular Economy Save this picture!The surface design follows a data-driven pattern. The bright colors form a gradient that serves as an infographic representation of how plastic waste is currently disposed of in Thailand: red signifies the percentage of waste sent to unsanitary landfills; shades of orange represent waste sent to sanitary landfills with pollution barriers; yellow denotes uncollected waste; and shades of green at the center symbolize the percentage of plastic that is recycled. The colors, arranged in concentric patterns, also reference the roofs of Wat Suthat Thepwararam, the temple located behind the plaza.Save this picture!Save this picture!The project was a collective and inter-sectoral effort, involving multiple areas of expertise: MVRDV Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas Partner: Wenchian Shi Design Team: Sanne van der Burgh, Sredej Bunnag, Americo Iannazzone, Zhijia Xiong, Jiani You, Dimitrios Kogkalidis, Sen Yang, Miruna Dunu, Marcela Tamez Cabello Partners: Creative Economic Agency, PTT Global Chemicals, Embassy of the Netherlands, Urban Ally Contractor: D-63 Recycled mats: Rukchat Lighting Designer: FOS Lighting Design Studio Exhibition collaboration: MORE Photography: Depth of Field Co.,Ltd. Save this picture!Once Bangkok Design Week concludes, the plan is to dismantle Mega Mat and repurpose the individual mats, giving them a third life. Some are intended to be donated to local temples, others repurposed as yoga mats, and some upcycled into new products. Aligning with its sustainability efforts, MVRDV recently launched the Carbon Confessions exhibition in Munich, showcasing its ongoing pursuit of carbon reduction on multiple levels. These efforts to reuse, renew, and preserve are reflected in various projects and initiatives worldwide, including Heatherwick Studio's redevelopment of Louisville's Belvedere riverfront in the United States and contributions from over 750 teams exploring the future of architecture at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Antonia Pieiro. "Exploring MVRDV's Mega Mat: A Recycled Plastic Installation for Bangkok Design Week 2025" 18 Feb 2025. ArchDaily. 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