A facade made of used and filtered toilet paper. The building belongs to the De Stichtse Rijnlanden Water Board, which recovered the paper from its own wastewater treatment plants. You can bet that makes people happy!
Architect Jeroen Schoots and his colleagues at the architectural firm Open Muur designed the unique facade panels, made from 2,000 rolls of flushed toilet paper. And while a facade made of toilet paper may sound strange, this showcase demonstrates that it’s a wonderful solution. The panels give the water board’s office in De Meern a unique look.
Jeroen, facade panels made from used toilet paper—is that afirst ?
“Yes, this is a first for Zeefgoed. By reusing toilet paper, you kill two birds with one stone. It significantly reduces CO2 emissions and cuts down on a large amount of waste. Every year in our country, we flush about 180,000 metric tons of toilet paper down the toilet. That paper contains cellulose, a valuable, organic raw material. Cellulose is a major component of trees and plants and an important raw material for making (toilet) paper and cardboard. It also has applications in construction, including as insulation material. But as ‘zeefgoed,’ it can also be pressed into excellent facade panels.”
How did you get involved in this?
“We were asked by the De Stichtse Rijnlanden Water Board (HDSR) to carry out a sustainability project for a number of water treatment facilities, including several office buildings. We explored ways to make those buildings more sustainable, and even during the preliminary research, we discovered that screenings were being recovered from the process at one of the treatment plants. That’s when we thought, “1 + 1 = 2,” because how wonderful would it be to clad the facades with a product made from our own recovered raw materials.”
And then?
“HDSR was enthusiastic and took the initiative to further develop and refine the idea. Extensive research was conducted into the quality and appearance of the final product. We designed the panels for the building’s facade in De Meern, and Nabasco manufactured them.”
“Our designs are surprising, sustainable, and created with enthusiasm,” your website says. How does that apply here?
“The HDSR office building in De Meern fully meets those criteria. It’s surprising both in terms of its appearance and the materials used. The panels have a textured surface and are blue in color. As a result, the building—with a facade area of 200 m²—has a distinctive and unique look. It’s sustainable because this solution reduces CO2 emissions by 10 metric tons (= 75%) compared to a brick facade. That’s equivalent to saving ten trees.”
And that enthusiasm?
“That’s because with these facade panels, we’re demonstrating that sustainability, circularity, and technically advanced applications not only go hand in hand but are also aesthetically pleasing. For me personally, that’s a huge motivator. We need innovations like this to move toward much cleaner construction. The (production of) traditional building materials emits far too many emissions. We’re seeing the consequences of that right now (Jeroen and I are speaking on June 25, when it’s about 33 degrees outside, MdG). We need to change course, and products like these are one way to do that.”
Did you ever think you’d design and install facade elements made from strained toilet paper?
“Haha, not exactly, but I don’t find it that strange myself. It’s always been my ambition to contribute to innovations like this. Of course, it’s great that this opportunity arose, and we took it very seriously. I’m very proud that we were able to bring this project to life, in collaboration with various stakeholders. I see quite a few initiatives—including during Dutch Design Week—that ultimately don’t lead to anything further. That’s such a shame.”
What does it take to make them succeed?
“The key point with innovations is that they need to be driven forward. We need examples of applications that create momentum. That will increase demand for the product, which in turn stimulates production. So it’s important to bring such a product or project to the public’s attention. That way, it will also reach the ears of investors who might want to put money into it. Then production can increase and the price can go down; it’s truly a flywheel concept. In addition, we need clients with courage and vision, such as HDSR.”
Is that happening yet?
“We’re working on it. Right now, we’re creating designs for a number of schools. As architects, we can give this type of panel a unique identity. In the 1930s, new building materials suddenly became available. That gave architecture a huge boost. My goal is to create a similar effect today: to develop new, modern architecture using new materials, with an explicit focus on sustainability.”
What role can this facade panel play in achieving that goal?
“I see opportunities in utilitarian construction, such as schools and offices. A facade built from these panels is a wonderful means of expression. These aren’t off-the-shelf panels coming straight from the factory. The material is pressed into molds, which allows for endless variation. Within the mold’s dimensions—90 x 90 cm—you have complete freedom. It’s a new layer, a new dimension that we can add with this material. “You can create a pattern or relief in it, or mix in small stones or shells, for example, so that the facade tells a story, as it were.”
What is the story behind the HDSR office?
“The story of water. A blue dye has been added to the pulp, and from a distance, it’s mainly that blue color that stands out. As you get closer, you’ll discover details of dikes and waterways in the relief on the facades. I think that in this case, the subtle design with a clear message works very well. In principle, of course, you could have logos, slogans, and all sorts of other things embossed on it, but a facade isn’t an advertising pillar.”
Why does this innovation make you so happy?
“I have children, and I want to make the world a better place. I want to contribute to the solutions we in the construction industry need to implement. There’s a lot of skepticism, even though it’s crystal clear that something really has to change. Globally, building materials account for 13 percent of total CO2 emissions, and the sector consumes about 50 percent of all raw materials. That’s quite a lot. I’m doing everything in my power to do my part—in this case, with facade panels made from jute.”
Are you working on any other innovations?
“We’re focusing primarily on wood construction, particularly based on the passive building concept. By making the building envelope and insulation as high-quality as possible, you can get by with less energy. Since the power grid is at risk of becoming overloaded—and already is in some places—this solves a number of problems. It reduces the demand for electricity, requires less maintenance, and results in lower emissions. All the more reason to focus on this.”
This project earned the Stichtse Rijnlanden Water Board a nomination for the Water Innovation Award.
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