MVRDV turns plastic waste into public space with woven 'mega mat' in bangkok

Addressing Thailand’s Plastic Waste Crisis with ‘mega mat’

MVRDV‘s latest project, Mega Mat, is a temporary public installation designed for Bangkok Design Week, located in Laan Kon Muang Plaza. The modular installation is composed of over 500 recycled plastic mats, creating a vibrant 860-square-meter platform that highlights the potential of repurposed materials in everyday life. Mega Mat serves as both an engaging public space and an educational infographic on the state of plastic recycling in Thailand.

Thailand generates approximately two million tons of plastic waste annually. In response, both industry and government have been working to reduce plastic consumption and improve recycling rates. With Mega Mat, MVRDV contributes to this effort by demonstrating the adaptability, usefulness, and circularity of recycled plastic in urban environments.

images © Depth of Field Co.

mvrdv employs Color as a Data Visualization Tool

Inspired by the traditional Sua-mat, a woven mat commonly found in Thai households, MVRDV’s Mega Mat in Bangkok consists of 552 modular pieces arranged in an authentic textile pattern. With this large-scale reinterpretation, the architects transform the entire city square into a communal seating area. Following Bangkok Design Week 2025, which runs from February 8th — 23rd, the installation will be dismantled and repurposed. It will be distributed to local temples, used as yoga mats, or upcycled into bags and other items.

The bold colors of Mega Mat serve a dual purpose — aesthetic impact and information dissemination. Each hue represents different aspects of Thailand’s plastic waste management system. Red signifies waste that ends up in unprotected landfills, orange marks waste sent to sanitary landfills, yellow represents uncollected waste, and green — at the center of the mat — indicates the percentage of recycled plastic. The color scheme also draws inspiration from the vibrant roofs of the nearby Wat Suthat Thepphawararam temple.

MVRDV’s Mega Mat is a temporary installation at Bangkok Design Week highlighting plastic recycling

environmental awareness architecturalized in bangkok

One corner of the Mega Mat installation is elevated, forming a sheltered space where visitors can explore an exhibition about plastic waste and recycling in Thailand. This upward curve mirrors the rooflines of traditional Thai temples while providing a shaded, interactive learning area. The rest of the installation serves as an open-air living room, inviting people to sit, socialize, and reflect on sustainability.

Mega Mat aligns with MVRDV’s broader sustainability goals, which include reducing carbon footprints and developing Paris Proof designs. The firm recently launched the ‘Carbon Confessions’ exhibition in Munich, addressing carbon reduction in architecture. Additional initiatives include the CarbonScape software for minimizing emissions during the design process and The Green Dream Foundation, which offsets travel-related emissions.

the installation consists of over 500 recycled plastic mats which form a vibrant public space

Mega Mat was developed in partnership with the Creative Economy Agency, PTT Global Chemicals, and the Dutch Embassy in Thailand. Beyond this installation, MVRDV also presented PROMT PARK, an AI-driven participatory project to repurpose underutilized urban spaces, and hosted a lecture by Winy Maas at Silpakorn University, furthering the conversation on sustainable urban design.

Mega Mat serves as an infographic displaying Thailand’s plastic waste management statistics

inspired by traditional Sua-mat seating, the installation is a large-scale woven mat for the city

one corner is elevated to create a shaded exhibition space about plastic waste and recycling

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project info:

name: Mega Mat — Bangkok Design Week

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Laan Kon Muang Plaza, Bangkok, Thailand

event: Bangkok Design Week 2025 | @bangkokdesignweek

client: Creative Economic Agency, Thailand

size: 875 square meters

completion: February 2025

photography: © Depth of Field Co. | @dofskyground

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

collaborating 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