'Full Circle to Reuse' guide launches

With new research launched by Grosvenor Britain & Ireland today showing that just 24% of built environment firms have policies specifying material Reuse targets, there is a clear need for guidance, legislation and incentives.

Working with Grosvenor, we have produced a 12-step guide to make Reuse the norm for the construction industry to address the global climate crisis. An actionable framework to help architects, developers, construction, contractor and demolition firms take steps to implement Reuse on their schemes.

The guide includes a methodology to assess the Reuse potential of building materials in four streams of work:

1. Data collection to establish the building layout
2. Non-destructive investigations to determine the structure behind the finishes
3. Inventory and structural sketches of the individual elements of the structure
4. Evaluation of Reuse potential of steel, timber, masonry, and concrete elements

All of which is mapped against the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 indicating the proposed stage at which the new steps are to be undertaken.

We have developed the guide as part of our collaboration with Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, who is seeking to boost circular economy practices in the built environment by trialling a second-hand market for materials in Central London.

Together with Orms, ARUP and HETA, we are working to identify opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing to put Reuse into mainstream practice. The first step is this guide, one in a series addressing the key barriers to reuse and developing a second-hand materials market in construction.