The Circular Lab

An “open” temporary pavilion created on the occasion of RoGUIlTLESSPLASTIC, an international project to raise awareness for the reuse and recycling of waste, now in its third edition.

The Circular Lab was born thanks to the precious synergy triggered between Rossana Orlandi, Milanese gallerist among the most well-known faces in the world of design, and Scart, the more than twenty-year artistic project carried out by Hera Group, one of the major Italian multi-utilities, developing the theme of art made with recycled materials.

Circular Design plays a central role in creating and disseminating new production models, recovering the value of resources and energy through strategic design choices, following precise rules in architecture as well as in the field of processes and products. The Circular Lab is therefore the space in which to rethink “waste” as materials for the creative process and that, at the end of the cycle, will foresee the birth of other new artifacts.

The architecture of the installation is made mainly from reused and recycled materials, through the assembly of IBC tanks usually used for the collection of industrial waste as well as the artistic use of colored films, normally used for large packaging and produced by Aliplast, the Hera Group company leader at national level in the recycling and regeneration of plastics. The floor is created by Eso Recycling, a company specialized in the reuse and treatment of waste from the world of sport and is obtained recycling rubber from running shoes.

Light is a fundamental element of the installation thanks to the collaboration with Artemide, a historic company and leader in the lighting sector. A series of custom La Linea lighting products applied to the corners of the tanks will visually mark the space and create a welcoming atmosphere with their soft diffused light.

Location: Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology
Type: Installation
Client: Audi
Project: Mario Cucinella Architects & SOS – School of Sustainability
Project team: Mario Cucinella, Martina Ruini, Benedetta Mingardi
Promoter: Scart by Hera Group
Technical sponsor: Aliplast, Artemide, Eso Recycling, Scart by Hera Group
Visual: Alessia Monacelli
Photo credit: Marco Menghi for RoGUIlTLESSPLASTIC