The property industry must “retain, extend life and reduce impact” of buildings to future-proof the office sector, urges a new report by the British Council for Offices.
In its Circular Economy in Offices report, the organisation sets out how offices can be designed and constructed in order to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature.
The report, which provides circular economy guidance to the office sector in relation to new-build, refurbishment and fit-out work, says that offices account for 15% of the total commercial property sector’s waste and 44% of the construction sector’s waste.
BCO’s research proposes a focus on three circularity principles to reduce waste: retain what is already there; extend life by ensuring what is designed in will keep materials at the highest residual value; and reduce impact of anything introduced and make improvements to nature.
The focus for embedding circular principles within the sector is placed on the fit-out stage of construction as the primary means of meeting climate change goals.
The organisation warns of the impact of hybrid working, increased take-up of shorter leases and increased demand for Category A space as the driving factors behind more fit-outs and strip-outs in the sector, which have upped its unnecessary waste output.
The BCO recommends in the report that Cat A is eliminated from office fit-out unless specified by the incoming occupier. It notes that Cat A interior fit-outs consisting of lighting and basic finishes such as flooring that have been fitted by a developer to showcase the office have frequently been stripped out by occupiers who, after agreeing to lease the space, discard the finishes and fit their own from scratch.
The organisation instead outlines a new strategy for Cat A fit-outs using virtual reality as an alternative approach to showcase the potential of the space or fitting out just one floor to standard as a showroom. It encourages property agents to avoid Cat A strip-outs by matching occupiers, developers and building owners to ensure that the occupier’s requirements are met first time round.
It also encourages design teams to use data from pre-demolition audits when designing spaces to prioritise principles such as designing for disassembly, designing out waste and reusing from demolition or from other projects.
Richard Kauntze, chief executive of the BCO, said that although “we are all used to recycling at home”, this research shows that “there is a great opportunity – and indeed a responsibility – for the office sector to adopt the same principles at scale”.
He added: “Everyone involved in creating, acquiring or occupying office space has the potential to make Britain more efficient and less wasteful by embracing, and advocating, circular economy principles to meet both urgent and longer-term sustainability goals.”
Anna Surgenor, author of the report and senior sustainability consultant at Arup, said: “There has never been a more important time to adopt circular principles in office projects,” to help address climate change and species decline, as well as to navigate a volatile global market.
She added: “This report aims to highlight the actions that can be taken by all parties in the value chain, individually as well as collaboratively, which will be crucial to steering the office sector towards more circular outcomes.”
Rob Harris, chair of the BCO research committee and principal of Ramidus Consulting, said: “More organisations in the property industry need to move towards adopting circular principles as part of their business model. By providing a deep dive into the circular opportunities that can be applied to the office sector, this BCO report presents strategies to retain the value of materials, reuse as much as possible and reduce unnecessary waste.”
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