Public sector construction and its role in the circular economy

Kingsley Clarke

Kingsley Clarke

Southern Construction Framework | NACF South West Board member

Framework Lead at Southern Construction Framework and NACF South West Board member

I recently sat on a panel at FOOTPRINTS+ representing NACF, for what resulted in a very lively discussion on galvanising the circular economy in the built environment. We were there to talk about construction in the public sector specifically, but one of the key points was that getting this right needs to see the public and private sectors working together.

The circular economy is a big topic and one that is fundamental to how we approach public sector buildings in the future.  The built environment is the biggest user of natural resources and material extraction continues to rise dramatically each year.   Despite occupying just 1% of land surface, the built environment is responsible for about 25% of land system change and that can’t continue.

Don’t build…

Simply put, the best way to support a circular economy is in fact to not build at all! Unless there is an argument that there were no other options available.  But a no build approach does require some new thinking and central to this is also collaboration. It means a fresh approach to how public estate is used in each locality and the public sector working together to share space and to evaluate public estate needs as a collective.  For example, a council may have a large office block with lots of space and perhaps an NHS Trust down the road needs more desk space for its office- based staff.  Why not share that resource as an alternative?

Focus on outcomes

Of course, as Framework Lead for Southern Construction Framework, you would expect me to encourage using a framework to tap into a wider supplier market, make the build easier and give good value for money.  Frameworks can help by getting a contractor engaged early on and giving access to contractors who already have the right expertise and can best support you on procurement and mitigating risk factors.

But whatever route you choose to go down, there’s some key principles that will help in incorporating circular economy in the build. It is so important from the outset to focus on the outputs and outcomes of the project, what you need to achieve and then making sure the team can deliver on all of the principles of the circular economy. So, for example if I was commissioning a University building, instead of the objective being to build a statement building, think of it in terms of wanting to create a building that the students are proud of or that will encourage students to want to come to the institution. Getting the brief right and structuring procurements to focus on what you want as an organisation for the building is key.

Right team, right time

We hear lots of buzz words for design around the circular economy, whether its MMC or fit for purpose (new build or refurb).  Our discussions at FOOTPRINTS+ looked at who should be involved and when so that circular economy is a focus.  It is about getting the right people in as early in the build as possible. For example, a question to ask is are architects the right people to be making those decisions without the support from contractors and members of the team who will be ultimately delivering the project? Are architects currently briefed in the right way to enable them to truly engage in the circular economy?  Ultimately, we don’t need to create a new circular economy specialist, but we do need the key people talking to each other early on, led by the Project Managers.

Not another reporting metric

Another talking point of the session was reporting and what metrics organisations are already using and how should these be developed?  My biggest plea to anyone in the industry is not to invent a new reporting methodology or metric.  There are enough already, and we need to look to the measures we already have and build circular economy into them.  We need to be aligning with Carbon net zero, Biodiversity Net Gain and social value and SME engagement measures for example and seeing where the circular economy can add value, and which offer the best indicators to get us there.

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