The Challenges and Resolutions
The climate crisis is becoming increasingly palpable with each passing day. Our recent summer of 2024 serves as evidence of this. With a momentous rise in heat waves across India, it feels as though the world is teetering on the brink. Every time we step outside I can feel the physical drain of energy by the harsh sun. And this isn’t isolated to just a few cities anymore – this is ubiquitous.
The causes leading to this crisis are never-ending and seem to change with every new person you talk to. The truth of the construction industry’s impact however is undeniable. To realise a net zero and nature-positive future, the building industry needs to reduce the impact of its demand for products and materials on the planet.
A circular economy could be a holistic solution to all of this. It helps move towards achieving net zero and the use of virgin materials capturing long-term value, increasing resilience, reducing waste and creating new economic opportunities.
Linear Economy v/s Circular Economy
The world moves in a pretty straightforward fashion. We take, we make and we waste. This mindset needs to change that. With the idea of a circular economy, the aim is to replace virgin materials with reused and recycled ones as far as possible. We are already running out of natural resources, with the circular economy’s idea of stopping the extraction of virgin materials and instead utilising materials already in the loop, we not only find an alternative for our depleting resources but also help create a cleaner environment.
This new system aims to overhaul products, services, and how businesses operate to cut waste, reuse goods, and help nature thrive. Less waste, more sharing, renting, fixing, and recycling.
This practice aims at extending the lifecycle of products while maintaining or improving their value.
The Four R’s
We’ve all heard it before
But now think about these in the context of the construction industry. How can we use these principles to change the way we not only design and plan our buildings but also construct and restore them?
Reduce – Build Efficiently
Flaring, which is the practice of burning off associated gas from wells, hydrocarbon processing plants, or refineries, either to dispose of it or to relieve pressure as a safety measure along with energy consumption for larger buildings is the top contributor to environmental harm. Mitigating these, along with a reduction of fossil fuels and focus on renewable sources like hydropower, solar energy and wind power are some of the first steps we can take as an industry.
There are opportunities to cut down on carbon consumption at every step. One just needs to identify these and proactively work towards making actions that cut waste at every decision, no matter how small.
For example 1 Triton Square, London, a key example of circular economy in the construction industry. The designers adopted a marginal gains approach where during their design stage – they analysed every system and component to be used – and worked towards maximising its performance. Designed by Arup the key lesson learned from their LCA(life cycle assessment) process was that overall optimisation is achieved through a spectrum of interventions. That said, 45 per cent of the project’s whole-life carbon reductions (compared with a complete redevelopment) are from retained structural elements. This led to them saving 40,000 tons of carbon and a 43% reduction in cost!
Reuse – Build Only what we need
The growing issue with the architecture community is everyone needs to make something new. Architecture which was once a testament of time and a part of our history, has now become small blocks with a life cycle not more than 6-8 years. What we need to ask ourselves every time we get a new site is, do we need a new building? Or can we just adapt the existing ones to our use? Here’s where the circular economy comes into play.
Once again, 1 Triton Square provides a compelling example. This 47,195m2 commercial development on Euston Road has its design completely retrofitted into its original shell. The mantra goes that the greenest building is the one that is already built, but the devil is in the details and the best whole-life carbon solution is not always obvious.
And it wasn’t just the shell that was considered but every element was analysed and addressed as reusable or not. The project team managed to reinstall 3,500m2 of reconditioned and re-warranted glazed façades. Not only that – but instead of shipping the facades back to the original suppliers who were based in the Netherlands. They set up a small workshop closer to the site, where the façade contractor reconditioned the glazing.
Recycle – Build For Long-term Value
Buildings don’t last forever, but their parts can be recycled. Take the Brummen House in the Netherlands. It was designed in a way that it could be dismantled if needed. By selecting prefabricated timber components and avoiding materials that would be harder to recycle it allowed for 90% of the building to be reused. Turning it into a material bank for future construction.
Remove – Build with the right materials
With age comes responsibility. And the truth is that our planet is significantly old now. As is the existence of humans and how much we have altered it by our presence. Due to this, avoiding carbon isn’t the only way. We also have to use technologies that store and capture CO2 to achieve a lower rate of emissions, while increasing photosynthesis by planting flora.
When we do build we need to use renewable, bio-based materials. We need to be able to track and set targets around our material use. Collecting data from material passports that allow them to be later analysed and further reused based on how they impact the environment.
For example, CEMEX is extracting waste minerals for use as alternative raw materials. This is possible because, in the cement production process, they replace part of the clinker with by-products from other industries such as fly ash and slag. They also use construction and demolition waste as alternative aggregates.
By maximising the reuse of clinker kiln dust and when this is not possible, they strive to recover these by-products for use as soil or road stabiliser, fertiliser, or road de-icing agents during the winter.
Paving the Way for Sustainable Development
It is time to skip the linear path and move towards a more circular project lifespan. A circular carbon economy is the best framework for making the biggest dent in global emissions while keeping economic growth steady.
