Circular Economy
The Circular Economy is a term for a regenerative way of looking at materials and systems. Rather than taking, making, and wasting, this approach keeps value in the process, at the least wasting nothing and potentially repairing damage that has been done.
Materials are the obvious example. As the waste hierarchy states, we must reduce, then re-use, and finally we should recycle. Where buildings are concerned we can reduce new construction by keeping existing buildings in use for as long as possible by maintaining them, by designing in adaptability, by aligning use with buildings rather than the other way around, and by checking whether we really do need a new building.
We can re-use materials where, once deemed no longer useful where they are (during refurbishment or demolition), we can recover them and use them elsewhere. We can do this through a pre-demolition audit and the use of circular economy hubs.
Read our response to the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Roadmap here.
Systems themselves, such as material flows, job creation, and company structure can also be circular. Maintenance creates jobs which never end, are not boom-and-bust. Not-for-profit company structures create financial flows which remain in the enterprise. Purpose-led organisations retain value in their communities. Locally produced, or re-conditioned materials keep resources, employment, and finance in the area.
These wider structures are the context around the built-environment, with each influencing each other. Any analysis of the building must look at these wider aspects, to ensure any decision makes truly positive impacts.