Designed and delivered as a prototype for the 2016 London Design Festival; the Circular Building is one of the first in the UK built to satisfy Circular Economy principles.

The Circular Building challenged us, as architects, to create a functioning building that would respond in its entirety to Circular Economy principles. All components needed to be implemented and utilised to their full potential and for the duration of their life cycle. While creating a comfortable and aesthetic environment for the user.

Together, with our partners we refined the application of existing pre-fab construction techniques, integrating open-source details with materials that are inherently circular. Our architectural design team worked with our engineers to produce and test details that utilise fine-tuned engineering rather than mechanical fixings; the result is an extremely low-waste, self-supporting and demountable SIPS wall system. Clamp connections between the wall and recycled steel frame ensure that both can be repurposed in the future. The cladding and decking are sustainably sourced heat treated timber that is durable and recyclable.

The construction industry in the UK consumes more than 400m tonnes of materials every year, making it the nation’s largest consumer of natural resources.

Adding demolition, the sector is also the largest contributor of waste, contributing more than 30% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions and consuming up to 40% of all energy.

Waste management and disposal costs are huge, swallowing up 30% of construction firms’ pre-tax profits.