Circular Economy
It¡¯s time to think about resources, not waste
How can we extend and adapt the life of a building beyond one lifecycle? How can we make materials returnable? What materials can we do without? Creating a circular economy plan¡ªwhether that¡¯s during design, construction, refurbishment, or demolition¡ªcan help.
Today¡¯s planning requirements and ESG principles place an increased focus on circular economy strategies and whole lifecycle carbon evaluations. It means many built environment schemes must demonstrate low carbon, zero waste, and regenerative design to regulatory agencies and potential investors.
In other sectors, the concept of reusing a product or renting something as a service is well-established?¡ªwe understand how the practice extends lifetime usage. However, when it comes to buildings, we still need to make more active choices as to what happens to an asset at the end of its life, or the next life. Before we design it.
In the built environment, reuse principles are complex, but given the carbon impact of our sector, it¡¯s clearly worth a collaborative effort to imagine ways to promote circularity, design out waste, and recognise that everything has a value.
Our consultant teams are perfectly placed to help developers, local authorities, investors, and designers understand how masterplanning, demolition, refurbishment, new products, and construction can tap into the benefits of a circular economy.
Supporting planning submissions
Designing for flexibility, adaptability, and longevity are key considerations. If you include circular economy solutions¡ªsuch as reuse and deconstruction¡ªin your planning, you¡¯ll be better positioned to make the right decisions for your building. We can provide waste management and servicing strategies, design reviews, whole lifecycle carbon assessments, and more to support your circular economy strategies and planning submissions.Bringing circular economy thinking to masterplans
When creating your masterplan, we can help you explore reuse and refurbishment strategies to improve sustainability and reduce costs. This includes reviewing potential resource loops and suggesting additional facilities to help increase circularity. We can review and build out timelines that take advantage of circularity opportunities, and we can identify connections between key masterplan strategy elements such as energy, waste, transport, water, ecology, landscape, and materials.Circular building design services
If you¡¯re working on a construction project, we can help you identify and take advantage of circular economy opportunities and strategies. After objective-setting workshops, we can review and respond to local authority requirements and identify existing materials or quick wins for circularity. We can review pre-demolition audits, research low-impact material and component options, and assess modularisation, prefabrication, and standardisation options. Let us help you create a roadmap to increase your circular economy potential.Circular and low carbon fitouts and refurbishments
Advance your circularity and sustainability goals by completing pre-demolition and pre-refurbishment surveys. We can help you identify materials to be reused, remanufactured, or refurbished¡ªincluding designing fitout guides so tenants have a list of approved, low carbon, circular materials. As the industry accelerates, we¡¯re researching new and alternative materials and products that increase circularity, and we¡¯re creating contacts with organisations and marketplaces which can provide reused or refurbished materials and equipment.
Phil Guthrie, Associate Director, Sustainability, WLC & Circular Economy Lead
I love to create sustainable developments for the long-term (many lifetimes), reducing the carbon, environmental, and resource impacts.
Dave Garner, Senior Associate Sustainability Consultant
Our linear economy needs to become a circular economy to deliver economic, social, and environmental equality now and for the future.
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