Feature The circular economy

municipal waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030, banning the sending of recyclable waste to landfi ll by 2025, and was accompanied by a specifi c proposal on developing a framework for resource effi ciency in the construction sector. In the same month, a group of MPs in the UK published Growing a circular economy — ending the throwaway society, which recommended lowering VAT on recycled products, extending consumer warranties and banning food waste to landfi ll. Applied to construction, the circular

economy would demand nothing less than a radical shift in how buildings are designed, maintained and even owned. Buildings would be designed to be more adaptable and durable, and eventually to be disassembled into components which could be reused or recycled. Rather than selling products, manufacturers might undertake to provide a guaranteed level of service, upgrading components as more effi cient ones become available and taking back the old materials.

Going full circle The UK Contractors Group (UKCG) has established a task group to explore how the construction supply chain could become more circular, and promote the idea to its 30-strong membership. Mace sustainability director Andrew Kinsey is one of the group’s leaders. “In essence, it’s fundamentally different to what we currently do [already],” he says. “There is no waste in a circular economy because every output becomes another input. The whole industry is a long, long way from that ideal at the moment.” There are isolated examples of circular business models. In the aerospace industry, Rolls-Royce has offered an engine and accessory replacement service on a fi xed-cost per fl ying hour basis since 1962, while Michelin started leasing tyres on a per kilometre basis in the 1920s. More recently, Dutch electronics giant Philips worked with RAU Architects on a “pay per lux” model for its lighting products, where it doesn’t sell the light

“There is no waste in a circular economy because every output becomes another input. The whole industry is a long way from that ideal at the moment.” Andrew Kinsey, Mace

18 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

CASE STUDY: THE CIRCULAR PROJECT Park 20|20 is a 114,000m2

offi ce

park just outside Amsterdam, and according to property developer Delta Development, it will be the fi rst “Cradle to Cradle” working environment in the Netherlands. It was designed by US architect William McDonough, one of the creators of the Cradle to Cradle certifi cation programme (see case study overleaf). It may sound like a lofty ambition

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but it’s also a very commercial one, stresses Owen Zachariasse, head of innovation and sustainability at Delta Development. “Nobody is willing to pay more for sustainability. They’re willing to invest in a positive business case, but right now we need to do all of this within a commercially viable budget.” At Park 20|20, Delta has considered

the whole lifecycle of each building. “We start to ask questions. The main one is what the building will be used for after the fi rst tenant leaves. It will

either be relet or we will have to make a decision. Do we try to repurpose it from commercial to retail, or take it apart and sell it off piece by piece, or break it down into its material components and sell off the steel? That way, you quickly get into a circular approach.” In some ways, designing for disassembly means considering problems backwards: “When you’re designing a structural steel component, don’t just look at how the corner comes together, how it’s welded. You ask ‘in future, how would I take the corner apart’. When you’ve asked that question, you have the answer to how it should be constructed.” On Delta’s previous logistics

development, at the Fokker aircraft manufacturing plant near Schipol airport, 100% of the materials from demolition were reused either in the development or sold to the demolition company to be reused elsewhere.

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