CASE STUDIES
Our team has extensive experience of circular economy projects for the built environment, including pre-redevelopment, pre-demolition and pre-refurbishment audits in support of sustainability standards such as BREEAM and wider circular economy objectives.
35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London
35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields is formerly the home of the Royal College Surgeons, built shortly after the end of World War II, and is prominently located on the south side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It is currently being repurposed and redeveloped to become the Firoz Lalji Global Hub, which will be the final set-piece addition to the London School of Economics’ (LSE) central London campus.
The building’s redevelopment will include conference facilities, academic and teaching spaces, digital labs, and a 300-seat theatre. The design embraces the ethos of the new centre through a strategy of adaptive re-use that will see large parts of the existing structure retained helping make it LSE’s first net zero carbon building. Reusefully undertook the initial pre-demolition audit at the end of 2023 to identify materials and components that are suitable for reuse, and are working closely with the design team and contractor to implement circularity and reuse in the development. This includes the reuse of bricks, timber and other items.
1 Victoria Street, London
1 Victoria Street is a 1960s commercial office building redevelopment by Stanhope and Mitsubishi Real Estate. It involves a planned partial demolition and major refurbishment (47,329 m2 GIA - Gross Internal Area). A huge collaborative effort is underway to maximise the reuse of items from the refurbishment driven by the vision of owners/developers and involving detailed work and planning by members of the project team including strip-out contractors Keltbray, sustainability consultants Arup and reuse advisors and auditors Reusefully.
Services:
- Pre-demolition and pre-redevelopment audit reports to support the Circular Economy Statement.
- Implementation activities, working closely with the Arup sustainability team, client and enabling works contractor.
- Advertising on exchange platforms and completion of a reuse tracker to assign responsibilities and monitor progress.
Distillery Redevelopment, Scotland
Details: Development of the estate, demolishing some buildings to open up space and retaining other buildings to transform the site into a multi-functional hub, including café, laboratories, office space, and a museum. Development site approximately 25,000 m2.
Services:
- Pre-demolition audit of 12 buildings of varying ages, sizes and typologies. Some buildings were planned for partial retention, requiring separation of data accordingly.
- Building-by-building inventory of products and materials that could be suitable for reuse and high value recycling.
- Presentation of key findings and further discussions with the design team on reuse opportunities and next steps
Buchanan Shopping Centre, Glasgow
Landsec engaged Reusefully to carry out a pre-demolition audit for the proposed redevelopment of Buchanan Shopping Centre in Glasgow. This was to enhance the circularity and sustainability of the project, and to identify reuse and high value recycling opportunities in the proposed new scheme and elsewhere.
The ambition at Buchanan is to create a visionary new quarter that sits comfortably within Glasgow’s diverse urban character, driving the future prosperity and post-pandemic rebirth of Buchanan and Sauchiehall Streets. To facilitate the redevelopment, the development team are proposing to demolish a number of existing buildings and structures, however both client and design team wanted to understand the opportunities for reuse.
The audit was undertaken over a two-day period in December 2022, and followed by detailed analysis and quantification of the materials likely to be arising from the proposed demolition/deconstruction. Advice was also provided on reuse opportunities and priorities, and a resources tracker was created to help the project team implement and action a reuse action plan. The findings of the audit were presented to the client and project team, to help embed circularity into the design strategy.
West One Shopping Centre, London
CPC Project Services and British Land engaged Reusefully to carry out a pre-refurbishment audit of West One Shopping Centre. The aim of the audit was to provide an understanding of the types and amounts of products and materials arising during refurbishment, and provide key parameters for products and elements to identify opportunities for reuse.
The team also provided data to help with populating the Resource Management Plan and in support of the BREEAM assessment and the Greater London Authority Circular Economy Statement, and advised on targets for reuse and recycling for products and materials arising during the refurbishment.
West One is located in central London and is bounded by Oxford Street to the north. The existing building comprises the shopping centre at basement, ground and first floor levels, the associated offices of 75 Davies Street above, and various below ground spaces demised to and operated by London Underground, including Bond Street station ticket hall.
Euston Tower, London
Euston Tower is located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It was built in 1970 and has been mainly used for offices. It has a storey height of 36 floors; the overall height of the building is 124 metres. Architects GXN commissioned Reusefully to provide a pre-refurbishment audit in support of BREEAM and GLA circular economy objectives. The aim was to provide an understanding of the types and amounts of products and materials arising during refurbishment and provide key parameters for products and elements to identify opportunities for reuse.
Recommendations were provided to maximise reuse and details were provided of the embodied carbon of the materials resulting from demolition. Presentations were provided to the client and development team to maximise the impact and value of the audit and improve and share learning for future projects.
Apetito Site, Trowbridge
Apetito are a major international food producer, striving to be as sustainable as possible. They have an ambitious plan to create a new world-class food processing facility at their site in Trowbridge, which will have a net positive impact on the natural and human environment and provide resilience in the face of climate change.
KLH Sustainability, working on behalf of Apetito, reached out to Reusefully to carry out a pre-demolition audit. The aim of this audit was to provide an understanding of the types and amounts of products and materials arising during the refurbishment/demolition to allow reuse in the new development. The site consists of 12 buildings all varying in size, age, and uses. The demolition will also involve other external structures including hardstanding, fencing, and a disused water tank.
The site was visited by Reusefully to conduct non-invasive observations and measurements. This allowed Reusefully to provide recommendations to maximise reuse and contribute to the sustainable management of materials arising from the demolition. This will help KLH Sustainability, and Apetito, meet their circularity and sustainability goals for the project.