Building A Circular Economy District

Circular economy X Resilience X Built environment

Building a Circular Economy District Linen Quarter > Belfast A compelling approach for a collaborative transition towards a thriving city that is livable, sustainable and resilient

Devni Acharya

Senior Consultant | Arup 3rd June 2021

Sean Lockie sean.lockie@arup.com 10 November 2021

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The three principles to circularity

Designing out waste and pollution

Keeping products and materials in use …at their highest possible value

Regenerating natural systems

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

• Resource decoupling • As economic activity and wellbeing increase….

• Resource use and environmental impacts decrease.

source: UNEP

The Value Hill

Take > Make > waste

Circular Economy As a Cohesive Strategy

Materials and Design Strategy

Business strategy

Life Cycle Assessment

whole system Funding and finance Markets Behaviour

Policy and regulatory frameworks

Citizen participation

Education and skills

Production

Technology

Strategies to reduce embodied carbon in buildings & infrastructure should be implemented early Potential to influence embedded carbon

HIGHER

Image - Paris En Commun

Image - Moises Aparcana

Image - Besix

LOWER

Image - Stonecycling

1 - Strategic urban plan

2 - Design

3 - Material selection

4 - Construction, maintenance & deconstruction

New infrastructure & buildings A. Low-carbon mobility strategy B. Low-carbon energy strategy C. Low-carbon & circular water strategy D. Green infrastructure & permeable surfaces

A.

Maximise structural efficiency B. Off-site manufacture & prefabrication C. Future adaptability D. Easy maintenance & repair E. Low-carbon, low waste construction F. Deconstruction & reuse G. Nature-based solutions and multifunctionality

A.

Reuse on-site materials B. Maximise reused materials C. Maximise recycled content D. Use low-carbon, bio-based materials E. Substitute for low-carbon alternatives F. Select local suppliers

A.

Existing infrastructure & buildings A. Repurpose or adapt existing* B. Retain green and blue infrastructure

* Where doing so minimises whole-life emissions compared to replacing

Use low-carbon energy on-site B. Prefabricated construction C. Eliminate waste D. Minimise irreversible processes E. Predictive & preventative maintenance F. Non-destructive deconstruction G. Reuse materials and products locally

Benefits of circular economy Economic Benefits: Social Benefits • Service based economy • Sharing economy increases disposable • New jobs – reverse income. logistics, resource brokers, • Circa £2500 per year remanufacturing (Growth within report) • Higher rates of • Improved healthcare technological costs (circular food) development • Improved air quality • New business models to water consumption extend life improve productivity (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021)

Environmental Benefits • A circular economy could halve carbon emissions by 2030.

• UK could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.4 million tonnes every year by keeping organic waste out of landfills.

• Reduction in primary material extraction and consumption • Improves resilience

Lets focus on real estate

Where is value lost in real estate ?

Underutilised space

Buildings demolished prematurely

Vacant land

Depreciated building materials

Under -performing components

European offices underoccupied by 35-40% during working hours

46% of UK residential buildings demolished age 11-32

UK residential developers are sitting on 600,000 plots with planning permission

Residual value of materials less than 5% of the value of new manufactured products

20-40% of building energy use could be profitably conserved

Five new real estate models

Flexible spaces

Adaptable assets

Relocatable buildings

Residual value

Performance procurement

Findings Summary

Building in layers

Design strategies Design in layers

Design for deconstruction

Design for adaptability

Performance procurement

Finland  Finland was the first country to publish a national roadmap to a circular economy.

Six key projects and dozens of pilots, which kick started Finland’s transition to a circular economy.  Finnish road map to a circular economy 2016-2025 - Sitra

Materials flows > three value chains: 1) Food organic waste streams, 2) consumer goods, and 3) the built environment.

West Midlands Circular Economy Routemap

© HAUT – Lingotto, Arup, JP van Eesteren

• 14,800 m2 timber tower • 70m tall residential • Hybrid timber helps to reduce CO2 from materials by 50%

• 130m tall • Timber concrete hybrid structure • Mixed use development

PEOPLES PAVILION • Dutch Design Foundation – Showcase of design innovation • Temporary demountable pavilion with 100% borrowed materials without glueing screwing or nailing into elements.

• No construction material wasted • All materials returned to suppliers for reuse

• 250m3 of functional space

LocHal • City of Tilburg

• Reuse of rail depot • Public library

• Performance space

Help and support

Arup Circular Design Framework [launched at COP]

Design for longevity

Circular Building Design Toolkit

A practical design framework and the relevant tools The toolkit will be globally available and accessible for all relevant stakeholders aiming to rethink the built environment.

03

04

Improve material efficiency

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Increase building utilization

02

Deliver

Lever

Reduce the use of virgin materials

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Refuse unnecessary new construction

Reduce the use of carbon intensive materials

01 07 Recover

Design for disassembly

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08 Design for adaptability

Reduce the use of pollutant materials

• The Circular Building Design Toolkit gives designers, construction clients and asset owners the resources they need to transition their developments towards a circular economy.

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• 3 starting points for users: 1) LEARN 2) ENGAGE 3) ACT

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• 4 principles: 1) Build nothing 2) Build for long-term value 3) Build efficiently 4) Build with the right materials

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• 10 strategies

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Each strategy has a card which gives: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)

Description Relevant indicator KPI Benefits Challenges Impact level Key design phase Designer impact

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Each strategy has specific actions across all design stages

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Each action has a card which gives: 1) Description 2) Building layer (Brand) 3) Stakeholders 4) Design phase 5) Project example

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Aligned with EU Level(s) and endorsed by the World Green Building Council

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Case study library of existing examples to inspire and guide

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• A Tools Directory – not reinventing the wheel, but sharing what already exists

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Workshop materials to guide design teams in identifying the approaches for their project

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

• Automated generation of a Circular Design Statement

Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction | United Nations Environment Programme

May 2021

The Arup CE Design Toolkit 1

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Circular Objective Workshop

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Circular Design Strategy Workshop

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Circular Design Quick Assessment (Christa)

Circular Design Model + Quantification (Madaster)

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Circular Value Weighting

Design Selection

Circular Design Statement Circular Design Report

Toolkit

[A] CD Framework + Circular Strategies Interactive card set for design team to understand existing best practice.

[B] Circular Design Statement Report structure to capture circular options.

[C] Circular Design Quick Component Assessment Report structure to capture circular options.

[D] Indicator based Optioneering Translate design options into consistent and tangible indicators.

[E] Visualization, Value Assessment, Reporting Visual benchmarking (e.g.

Power BI) to assess the circular value.

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Arup Thought Pieces SECTORS

CONSTRUCTION

BUILDINGS

PRODUCTS

MATERIALS

Cities Alive

Circular Economy in Organisations BS8001 Stewardship

Innovation

Transparency

Value Optimisation

Systems Thinking

Collaboration

Image credit: BS8001

New terms