Local planning, especially in London, increasingly places value on sustainability with ever more strict requirements for looking at reuse and retaining buildings were possible. Examples include Westminster City Council, the City of London, and Camden who are all developing individual planning policies working towards greater sustainability and a circular economy.
Creating a more circular business models is about creating value whilst minimising environmental and social costs. Reusefully, for example, are aiming to convince manufacturers to take responsibility for their materials and reuse or recycle as much as possible. This can be achieved through supplier takeback and remanufacture/recycling materials like carpet tiles, ceiling tiles, and flat glass. Manufacturers can also lease lighting and lifts.
Within a pre-demolition audit, materials are quantified in terms of tonnage, volume, potentially metres squared (if flooring for instance), and in straight numbers (e.g. toilets or lights). We can then estimate the proportion of what may arise for reuse, higher value recycling or if no other option available through to disposal. Most importantly, this allows us to create recommendations on how to manage the components and materials arising to maximise recovery.
In addition to a site visit, we look to detailed information gathering stage for these audits, which can include:
- Public information (Google Earth/Streetview, EPC’s)
- Pre-existing surveys (e.g. asbestos, condition surveys)
- Drawings/sketches (Original and/or updated e.g. measured surveys)
- Site visits (Measurements, notes, photos)
- O&M manuals
- 3D imaging/scanning
- Information from building staff.
We then create an overall material audit findings in tonnes and volume, and split out into different sections based on material types.
For 35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Reusefully were asked to take the outputs from our material audit and put together a live tracker that could be continuously updated. The idea is for the tracker to be used to plan and monitor and follow the actions relating to how those material arisings were used and to log the outcomes with the aim to learn from any mistakes or potential improvements.
This resource tracker can be updated, for example if more specific and detailed investigations into particular materials are undertaken. You can also use the tracker to fee into live brokerage and resource matching (e.g. finding recipient buildings and projects which can take reused materials).
Laura Burley from David Chipperfield Architects (DCA) and Nastasia Basil from BDP sustainability consultants described how circularity issues were uppermost in the mind of the LSE client when they first chose the winning entry in the RIBA design competition for the building. The DCA proposal was the only one that proposed significant retention of the existing building.
BDP created a sustainability brief for the project, with targets such as operational energy targets which are aligned with the RIBA Climate Challenge for example. Overall the team set out to retain 60% of the structure of the building, helping to significantly reduce its embodied carbon impact.
A key design driver throughout is the circular economy, maximising the reuse of deconstructed elements and using them where possible within the new building.
Reusefully’s pre-demolition audit helped the design team develop an initial reuse proposal, which first started to see an impact as part of an enabling works contract. DCA organised weekly/fortnightly site visits with the enabling works contractor to explore those reuse opportunities.
The resource tracker was used as a tool, helping to understand and progress reuse on site. DCA have proposed to reuse as much as possible from the initial building, with reusable internal finishes include timber flooring, brick wall and terrazzo aggregate, and tiled wall finish. Reusable joinery and internal elements include timber panelling, stone joinery elements, lighting and brass hardware. External reuse examples include stone detailing, brick cladding, stone cladding, hoppers, demountable balustrades and railing, and stone paving.
Laura and Nastasia ended their presentation with some overall reflections and lessons learnt throughout the project so far. These included the importance of having a detailed programme and for the programme to allow for reuse scope within it in terms of timings and logistics. Allowing for some flexibility within the programme is important (e.g. to accommodate particular storage requirements or deconstruction needs). They highlighted how we are constantly learning about the building as the project progresses, hence live tracking and regular communication with the team is vital.
Overall the team highlighted how robust data (through detailed analysis and quantification) plays a vital role in understanding the opportunities for reuse, and how a strong circularity vision that is shared by the client and the team needs to be uppermost. This needs to be reflected in the design strategy from the start, and reinforced throughout the project by collaborative working.
You can download the presentations from the event below.
