Visionary architect and psychologist Margot Krasojevic is working on an outlandish concept that may just help us deal with the concerning plastic waste problem plaguing the world’s oceans: building a plastic island.

Krasojevic and her team at Margo Krasojevic Architecture started with simulation software to study how plastic waste moves in the ocean to come up with efficient ways of collecting it to later put it to good use. With this in mind, the idea for Krasojevic’s plastic island was born.

The island is meant to sustain habitation, and to feature a beautiful hotel. The hotel is designed to be a self-repairing structure that will continue to capture discarded plastic from the ocean. The plastic will go into mesh bundles and function as floatation devices. Which is how the island will grow bigger, creating a sort of floating landfill that is anchored to the ocean floor.

Over time, Krasojevic intends for silt and sand to be deposited on the plastic, creating an environment that will support mangrove trees. The roots of the mangroves will grow around the plastic-filled bags, further securing and anchoring the island.

To fortify the plastic island, interlaced webbing made from biodegradable-seeded concrete fiber mesh will be integrated into the entire design of the island. The webbing will absorb water, preventing the island from flooding. The water that is absorbed can then be released once any natural threat, such as heavy storms, has passed.

The hotel will have camping areas and canopied rooms fitted with showers that use filtered distilled seawater that will be pumped using solar energy. The island is designed in a way that allows for growth as more people become interested in visiting it, and may eventually become big enough for it to sustain permanent housing.

Although it may sound a bit ambitious, we need to get creative in dealing with our plastic pollution problem, so we applaud the out-of-the-box thinking!

Source Image: Margot Krasojevic Architecture