Recycle, Re‑use, Retrofit: The 3 R’s Of Sustainable Design
We are less than seven years away from our next major net zero target, to cut carbon emissions by 68% by 2030. However many, from climate experts to the general public, are starting to doubt our ability to achieve this benchmark. What does that suggest of our 2050 ambitions? I worry that, as a country, we’re underprepared.
That’s not to say progress hasn’t been made, there have been improvements. For example, we’ve made considerable headway in phasing out single‑use packaging, such as plastic water bottles, straws and shopping bags. However, this is small fry compared to the way our towns and cities are built, particularly commercial property. It’s now time to address the way we design and specify contemporary office space, a hidden emitter in need of a substantial carbon haircut.
Unfortunately, a major change in attitudes is required. Recycling, which has become a go‑to answer for those challenges on green practices, is not enough on its own. Reuse and retrofit need to be given equal consideration when looking to make commercial spaces carbon neutral.
Going Round In Circles
There are countless advantages to adopting a circular economic approach to office design and, in fact any other specification project. It’s not only from an emissions perspective, but a financial one too. In an age of increasingly stringent regulation and taxation on emissions, as well as heightened investor and consumer pressure, minimising waste and selecting long‑life fixtures, fittings and finishes can yield dividends. As sustainability briefs become the norm in design briefs, those suppliers which can prove low‑carbon attributes will have a significant competitive edge.
Adopting a circular strategy will also reduce the knee‑jerk dash for virgin materials, particularly when considered in tandem with ESG objectives. It’s also benefitting manufacturers, breaking the vicious cycle of competing over the rising cost of raw materials and encouraging them to consider how to better use materials and products which already exist within our built environment.
The greater movement towards the ‘sustain and retain’ design ethos is also helping to cut down energy consumption costs, from manufacture to installation. For example, in the case of recycling or reusing a traditional emission‑intensive material like aluminium, this can save up to 95%.
Prioritising Reuse
When new tenants move into a commercial property it has, traditionally, been standard practice to replace the entire interior. Unfortunately, when the tenants move out, some products are recycled but, more often than not, most are sent to landfill. Most of the time this is completely unnecessary. Fundamentally, if we start to reuse good‑condition fixtures and fittings, opposed to discarding them, we can deliver better long‑term value with minimal environmental impact.
Manufacturers are increasingly exploring lease‑based production strategies as one potential solution to the prevalent throwaway culture. It means that, in our case, a fit‑out system will either be removed, refurbished, then stored for future use, or it can move with the leaseholder and be installed in their new space.
This is a win‑win for all concerned, offering manufacturers the chance to serve their customers, elongate their product lifecycle and offering tenants the change to recoup value with each lease.
It will require people to alter the way they think, but will be worth the effort. Ultimately it will provide more flexibility whilst minimising energy and waste produced by continual development of brand new, carbon‑intensive systems.
Since almost 60% of CO2 from our urban areas comes from buildings, the majority of which will still be standing in 2050, reuse and retrofit will be essential to meet net zero objectives. The sensible and scalable option will be taking a circular approach, with reuse as the priority. Only then will the best environmental commercial fit‑out be achieved, and carbon neutrality attained.
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