Circular economy in the construction sector

Transcription

1 Delivering Healthy Buildings: Plastics, POE & Embodied Carbon 1 st November 2018 Circular economy in the construction sector Katherine Adams, Technical Associate, ASBP

2 Circular economy principles Principles (developed from literature) Increasing the productivity of materials, products and components by doing the same or more with less. Eliminating waste by defining materials as either technical or biological nutrients enabling them to be within material loops Maintaining or increasing the value of materials, environmentally and economically. Thinking in systems by studying the flows of material through industrialised systems, understanding the links, how they influence each other and the consequences, enabling closed-loop processes where waste serves as an input.

3 Circular economy in buildings

4 Why?

5 Rocketing material costs. Source:

6 The UK s construction sector performance Decrease in material use (196mt of non-metallic materials in 2013 compared to 288mt in 2003) 90% of construction and demolition (C&D) waste recovered in 2014 C&D waste generated relative to construction output is not decreasing (34t/ m in 2012 compared to 48t/ m in 2014) 60% of all waste is from the construction sector Amount of reclaimed materials decreased from 1.8mt in 2007 to 750kt in 2011 An increase of 10mt (58mt) of excavation waste generated in 2014 compared to 2012

7 Circular economy aspects

8 The value chain Circle Economy & ABN AMRO, A Future Proof Built Environment Putting circular business models into practice.

9 Circular economy in the construction sector Not one magic bullet Different approaches and solutions required: Various types of buildings/infrastructure with different forms, functions, use patterns Majority of assets are already built Asset (building) level v product level approaches Short lived v long lived construction products and buildings Low value v high value products Various developer/client approaches Accountancy and budgets Potential conflict of circular economy principles How does circular economy relate to other hot topic areas? E.g. health and wellbeing, offsite, big data etc

10 Circular economy challenges in the built environment Based on survey of 110 construction professionals 1 = insignificant; 4 = major challenge

11 Circular economy enablers in the built environment Based on survey of 110 construction professionals 1 = insignificant; 4 = major enabler

12 Client Designer Shorter-lived product manufacturer Longer-lived product manufacturer Contractor Demolition Critical success factors: prioritisation Critical success factor Legislation and policy Business case Vision and strategy Cultural Market offer and readiness Data, evidence and quantification Technical Supply chain

13 Client Designer Longer-lived product manufacturer Shorter-lived product manufacturer Contractor Demolition Data, evidence and quantification CSF Evidence base of the benefits Known materials availability within buildings Information on building construction Reuse and recovery information Labelling and product information Materials tracking and traceability Monitoring of products in-use Transparency of waste routes

14 Client Designer Longer-lived product manufacturer Shorter-lived product manufacturer Contractor Demolition Technical CSF Material content and toxicity Manufacturing processes Design for reuse and recovery Design for deconstruction Modular and adaptable buildings Standardisation and simplification Warranties and guarantees Fit for purpose Durability New technologies

15 Potential for circular economy by lifecycle stage and stakeholder influence

16 Case study: Liander Head Office, Netherlands Renovation of an office- 5 transformed into 1 Specified its needs and ambitions in a strategy document 80% circularity (reuse) of materials, C2C building, energy positive, collaborative business process Estimated 80% could be reused again Fully circular steel roof (saved 30% of steel) Asked consortia for a vision rather than initial design Material passport - depot of materials Collaboration (Alliander and consortia) and trust (same players throughout) Images: Turntoo

17 Case study: Circular Pavilion (CIRCL), ABN Ambro, Amsterdam Showcase their commitment to sustainability with circular principles embedded Use of knowledge and expertise from TU Delft Collaborative one team approach Suppliers brought in during the design stages to co-create. Client attended supplier negotiations with the contractor Product as service e.g. Mitsubishi Lifts Circular inputs Right to Copy ; Living Lab

18 CIRCL Pavilion

19 Case study: RIC A12 School, Netherlands Installation of a new carpet tiles (850m 2 ) supplied by Desso Airmaster carpet (C2C) Lease of 5 or 7 years Financial flexibility Control of monthly costs End of lease, it is removed taken back, disassembled and recycled into new carpet Regular maintenance checks Loose lay to avoid being part of the building (and therefore not the owner)

20 Case study: reuse at MACE

21 The case of plastics Short lived v long live plastic products Optimised packaging and returnable Some construction products utilise high amounts of recycled plastic from other sectors e.g. HDPE plastic bottles into plastic pipes Composite products are an issues for recovery e.g. GRP Fair comparison of alterative choices

22 Sustainable Bio&Waste Resources for Construction (SB&WRC) The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) and its French and English partners are undertaking this project as part of the Interreg France (Channel) England programme. The aim is to develop prototypes of construction materials from bio-resources and recycled waste. University of Brighton is developing an insulation prototype from polyester and duck feathers sourced from waste bedding. ASBP is pleased to be co-leader for communication for the project and we will feed back all the latest project developments over the next two years through seminars and newsletters. Find out more at This project is supported by the INTERREG VA France (Channel) England programme and receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

23 The case for reusable buildings Develop and articulate the business case for action for built environment clients Deconstructable - where refurbishment or demolition and re-use have been facilitated by design. e.g. at the end of life, the building still has value as deconstructed products and components Flexible - would allow fast delivery, deployment and re-deployment e.g. if demographic changes mean that the location no longer requires that building function, or less of it. e.g. a social housing fleet for London. This could also be used to increase accommodation for events or special short term circumstances. Adaptable - where change of use is anticipated in initial design (e.g. repurposing Olympic Park athletes accommodation to become classic apartments through anticipating need for kitchens at design stage). This can also allow for now uses or enhanced ability to upgrade / retrofit and therefore life extension. Returnable - where the use is foreseeable for a limited period or a specialised function, and the functional elements are rented and returned when no longer required. This might be at building or at element / system level (e.g. rainscreen cladding panels with incorporated PV s or solar heating). There is a parallel to software as a service in IT solutions. This might also provide a solution for decanting building occupants during redevelopment (i.e. schools or housing).

24 Green Construction Board Top Tips (cetoptips.com)

25 Many thanks Free monthly newsletter sign up on our website Katherine Adams, Technical Associate LinkedIn: a7