Long Life, Low Energy: Designing for a circular economy

Axonometric drawing of the ground floor extension

RIBA’s Built for the Environment report shows that 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to buildings and construction, consuming about 50% of all raw materials worldwide in the process. In addition, over 50,000 buildings are demolished each year across the UK, many of which could have been repurposed. The circular economy offers ways to reduce these unsustainable figures, seeking to eliminating waste by reusing buildings and their material components wherever possible.

We’re featured in the ‘Long Life, Low Energy: Designing for a circular economy’ exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects. The exhibition looks at buildings’ life cycles and the energy that goes into a building’s construction, use and demolition (whole life carbon). The exhibits demonstrate a variety of ways to create buildings which reduce the amount of carbon used, through the reuse of materials, reduction in energy demand and the use of recycled elements. Through implementing circular economy principles in buildings.

We are exhibiting our Downton Avenue project: an exemplar of low embodied carbon and reuse on a domestic scale 

There are approximately 24.7 million dwellings in the UK. The renovation and refurbishment of which have a huge impact on the climate. At Downton Road we have built a low embodied carbon extension to a typical Edwardian home. We used recycled bricks (taken from the decommissioned Colchester hospital), reclaimed steelwork for the structural frame, and timber frame SIPs panels filled with recycled wood fibre insulation for the walls. 

We’ve also added a green roof, added insulation to the existing home and reduced the use of concrete by designing a raised timber floor in place of a concrete floor slab.   

The exhibition is at the Architecture Gallery - Ground floor, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD and runs until 29th April 2023.