Embracing Circular Economy Design principles and interconnected enablers for Sustainability
On the basis of UKGBC’s publication System Enablers for a Circular Economy, the UKGBC Circular Economy Forum has reflected on the importance and role of circular economy design principles, its challenges, and how it relates to other enablers for a circular built environment.
| Contributors | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Ana Ruiton Sarah Griffiths Matt Ingham Andrew Moore Timothy Mathew James Morton Adam Ozinsky | Mott MacDonald Mott Mac Donald CBRE Hilson Moran Hilson Moran Ramboll 3XN GXN |
Circular economy design principles have been largely developed but still we find these concepts difficult to implement. For the designer to implement circular economy concepts there may be a need to change in how we structure our projects, how we procure the materials and how process and classify reclaimed materials. Rather than looking at this enabler in isolation, we need to take more of a systems approach, taking into account other enablers for circularity as well.
As a forum, we identified three key barriers that need to be overcome so that the circular design principles can be embraced across the industry. Currently, there is a lack of communication and early engagement which hinders the implementation of circular concepts. It has been frequently stated that the earlier we implement these concepts, the more we get out of these processes. Leading on from that, time and logistics usually force circularity out of our projects, with the impression that circularity increases programme. By understanding the concepts further and allowing for these processes to be baked into the programme will ensure an appropriate amount of time is allowed to ensure materials are retained and reused. The final area that we have addressed is the lack of storage and information of reclaimed materials, which has been underdeveloped and allows for little understanding of appropriate materials available at early design concepts. By looking at the constraints of these concepts we hope to outline the issues and possible solutions to ensure design concepts are implemented and circularity is increased in projects.
Lack of Collaboration / Early engagement
An early collaborative approach must be considered to communicate and explore the opportunities to implement circular principles by sharing designs, experiences and circumstances that encourage a circular approach.
Lack of collaboration or early engagement can lead to missed opportunities to incorporate circular economy principles, resulting in a linear approach to building design and construction. There are several stakeholders, such as contractors, that may not be involved in the early design stages that restrains the implementation of circular economy principles in the design of a project. This is because there is usually a knowledge gap between the designers and contractors.
Solution: Therefore, an early collaborative approach must be considered to communicate and explore the opportunities to implement circular principles by sharing designs, experiences and circumstances that encourage a circular approach, highlighting the need for education across the industry.
Learn more about Collaboration and Early Engagement here.
Timing and Logistics
Additionally, logistics and program timing can pose several challenges when implementing circular economy strategies, as they require changes in early design stages, supply chain management, delivery and production methods. This includes reverse logistics for collecting and processing waste and recycling processes, demolition is considered cheaper and faster than taking a construction apart piece by piece.
Solution: Multiple stakeholders can take multiple actions to improve the logistics and reduce the timing of projects. For example, the design team can identify areas where a standardised modular design approach could improve efficiency in construction to potentially reduce the programme time; contractors can propose modern construction solutions and produce an early forecast on construction programs once they have collaboration and early engagement in the design to reduce waste and improve the circularity of the project. As a result, manufacturers can identify early in the process any factor that may impact the logistics of the project, as the lead times for the production of material that contain secondary content.
Aligning a multi disciplinary team on a project at the start gives the opportunity to identify potential for optimisation, effectiveness and embed circular practices deeper into the design – Designing buildings and infrastructure that are adaptable, flexible and durable, allowing them to be easily repurposed, disassembled or reused in the future. Multidisciplinary teams can maximise the benefits of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) by bringing manufacturing, assembly and logistics knowledge upstream in the project to assess criteria such as buildability, standardisation and modularity. This will help to ensure that the construction and production phase of the project are well planned and executed efficiently.
Lack of storage and information of reclaimed materials
To overcome the shortage of storage of secondary materials, with the efforts of developers, national governments, and local authorities, ‘reuse hubs’ can be an affordable solution to deconstructed materials to be stored and remanufactured to perform as a secondary materials market.
Although there is growing aspirational trend for the use of reclaimed material from demolition waste in the built environment, it comes with challenges such as storage of these materials and associated costs; attaining guarantees or warranties on such materials due to lack of standardisation and difficulties in verifying their quality; and limited understanding of reclaimed materials such as the materials’ origin, lifecycle, and technical properties, etc. which can pose as a risk to other stakeholders such as contractors and clients.
Solution: Several solutions can be adopted to mitigate these barriers to implementing circular economy principles. To overcome the shortage of storage of secondary materials, with the efforts of developers, national governments, and local authorities, ‘reuse hubs’ can be an affordable solution to deconstructed materials to be stored and remanufactured to perform as a secondary materials market.
Using digital solutions, such as material passports, to act as a tool by accumulating building materials’ information to provide more credibility on existing materials for future procurement on the secondary materials market. Moreover, digital solutions can also connect multiple stakeholders to indicate the availability of these recovered materials on the secondary market.
At a macro level, the industry would benefit with a legislative body that mandates and governs manufacturers to enhance the level of detail of their data sheets. These documents may include details like recycled content, carbon impact, end-of-life scenarios, etc. which will assist design teams to make better-informed decisions to facilitate the principles of circular economy.
Additionally, by establishing standardised warranty and certification programs for recovered materials with the help of other stakeholders in the industry, circular economy principles can be met to prolong the value of materials by ensuring businesses to incorporate the use of secondary material in their projects.
Associated costs do play a crucial role, however, there needs to be a different way of thinking, and investment mechanisms and green financing to enable scale for teams and specifiers. The implementation of circular economy design principles has a massive potential of tackling climate crises if implemented on a mass scale, however, the current challenge is to implement it on a project-to-project basis.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Circular Economy Design principles are pivotal for sustainable resource management, it is crucial to recognize that their successful implementation cannot occur in isolation. The UKGBC’s report on “Systems Enablers for Circular Economy” highlights in more detail the intricate web of interconnected factors that shape successful circularity.
By recognising the mutually beneficial relationship between Circular Economy Design principles and other critical enablers, designers and architects are invited to take on this challenge. Professionals can find tailored actions for stakeholders at every level by diving deeper into the insights provided in the UKGBC’s Systems Enablers report. This collective effort will drive collaborative progress, advancing Circular Economy in the Built Environment and forging a more sustainable future.
This blog was written by members of UKGBC’s Circular Economy Forum. Would you be interested in joining the forum? It’s open to any UKGBC member with expertise in circular economy.
If you want to learn more about the enablers for a circular economy, you can join our new learning webinar on 5th September that will explore the findings of the System Enablers report.
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