MVRDV’s Mega Mat installation at Bangkok Design Week challenges conventional notions of public space by transforming an everyday household item into an urban intervention with a powerful environmental message. Situated at Lan Khon Mueang Town Square, the project highlights the potential of recycled materials in architecture and public space design while providing a vivid infographic about Thailand’s plastic waste processing. The installation reflects MVRDV’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and material circularity, presenting an innovative response to the global discourse on waste management.
Mega Mat Technical Information
- Architects1-10: MVRDV
- Location: Laan Kon Muang Plaza, Bangkok, Thailand
- Client: Creative Economic Agency, Thailand
- Area: 875 m2 | 9,400 Sq. Ft.
- Project Year: 2024 – 2025
- Photographs: © DOF SkyGround
Around the world, people are understanding the need to think more about the objects they use, and to see products as part of a connected ecological web. In Thailand, this conversation is already well underway. I encourage that. With our design of the Mega Mat, we also wanted to celebrate it as an opportunity, to see the possibilities that are created by putting an emphasis on recycled materials. In a city dominated by concrete, this mat creates a soft space where you can take off your shoes, sit, lie down, read, and play.
– Winy Maas, MVRDV founding partner
Mega Mat Photographs
Mega Mat Design Intent
The concept of Mega Mat emerges from the traditional Thai Sua, a woven mat used in domestic settings. By enlarging this familiar object to an urban scale, MVRDV fosters a communal experience that contrasts sharply with Bangkok’s dense and often hard-surfaced public realm. The installation’s modular composition, made up of 532 individual woven plastic mats, creates a flexible and interactive space where visitors can sit, rest, read, and engage in social activities.
One of the most striking spatial gestures within the design is the lifted corner of the mat. This subtle yet effective architectural move references the upturned eaves of nearby Wat Suthat Thepwararam, creating a sheltered space beneath that hosts an exhibition on plastic waste and recycling. The interplay between the mat’s soft, colorful surface and the rigid urban surroundings enhances its role as a temporary public living room—an oasis within the city.
Materiality and Environmental Narrative
The installation provides a place for rest and interaction and conveys an urgent environmental message through its materiality and color scheme. Constructed from recycled plastic, Mega Mat demonstrates the viability of repurposed materials in design. The use of woven plastic echoes traditional Thai craftsmanship while addressing contemporary waste and sustainability issues.
The gradient color scheme transforms the installation into an educational infographic, visually representing Thailand’s plastic waste management. Red tones symbolize the percentage of plastic sent to unsanitary landfills, while shades of orange and yellow depict sanitary landfills and uncollected waste. At the heart of the installation, shades of green represent the percentage of plastic successfully recycled. Integrating environmental data into spatial design elevates Mega Mat beyond a mere aesthetic gesture, turning it into a tool for public awareness.
The installation’s lifecycle extends beyond Bangkok Design Week. Instead of being discarded, the mats will be redistributed—some donated to local temples, others repurposed as yoga mats, and some upcycled into consumer products such as bags. This approach embodies circular design principles, ensuring the intervention does not contribute to the issue it seeks to address.
Broader Context: Public Space, Sustainability, and Architectural Responsibility
Mega Mat is a compelling case study of how temporary architectural interventions can provoke broader discussions on material reuse, public engagement, and sustainability. The installation is not an isolated effort but part of MVRDV’s more significant ambition to transition towards a low-carbon, “Paris-proof” design philosophy. The firm’s Carbon Confessions exhibition in Munich and the development of CarbonScape software further illustrate its commitment to reducing architectural emissions.
Beyond MVRDV’s direct contributions, Mega Mat exemplifies how architects can leverage temporary installations to test new material applications, rethink public space, and engage communities in pressing environmental conversations. The installation’s participatory nature aligns with emerging architectural trends, where adaptability, impermanence, and ecological consciousness are increasingly central.
Mega Mat Plans
Mega Mat Image Gallery
About MVRDV
MVRDV is a globally renowned architecture and urban design firm founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Known for its bold, innovative, and sustainable design approach, MVRDV explores new architectural possibilities through experimentation with density, material reuse, and urban transformation. The firm’s portfolio includes pioneering projects such as The Markthal in Rotterdam, The Valley in Amsterdam, and The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. Committed to sustainability, MVRDV integrates circular economy principles and data-driven environmental strategies in its designs, influencing contemporary architectural discourse worldwide.
Credits and Additional Notes
Architect: 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
Copyright: MVRDV, Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
