The circular economy in office fit out

The circular economy is an alternative to the standard, linear economy of make, use and dispose. Instead, it aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible and then recover or recycle the materials at end of life.

A move to a circular economy is getting more important as Earth Overshoot Day gets earlier every year. Earth Overshoot Day is the date when humanity’s demand for resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can naturally regenerate in that year - in 2026 it was the 30th of July.

‘Transitioning to a circular economy entails decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. This represents a systemic shift that builds long term resilience, generates business and economic opportunities and provides environmental and societal benefits.’ - Ellen McCarthur Foundation

Deconstruction – When an office space gets to the end of its usable life we should consider deconstruction instead of demolition. During this process it is important that all materials are considered:

• Deconstruction should be carefully planned, with time given to allow for different elements to be removed carefully to allow for potential reuse, such as ceilings, flooring and partitions.
• You can also use manufacturer closed loop take back schemes that will recycle old material into new products.

When designing a space, consider the different scenarios that would change the use of the space and design accordingly. COVID was a good example of how the use of offices has drastically changed, with a greater need for hotdesking, social distancing and collaboration spaces, rather than the traditional workspaces we were used to. Ensure that the spaces being designed are adaptable to future needs without needing large level changes and wastage of materials.

• Building in layers: ‘During refits or refurbishment, the ability to peel off layers and apply new ones ensures that the neighbouring layers are undamaged.’ Handbook to Building a Circular Economy
• Onion skin model: In this model the core of a product (or office) is the structural elements, with the other elements of the product attached to this structure, moving out by each layer of the ‘onion skin’. This means that the elements that have the shortest lifecycle and will need replacing first should be the outer onion skin, which can be repaired, changed or replaced without touching the remaining layers. In an office this would be the unfitted furnishings and furniture, then the fitted furniture and then the ‘scenery’ items such as partitions and ceilings and so on. This concept is from 'Sustainable Materials with Both Eyes Open' by Julian M Allwood and Jonathan M Cullen.
• Reconfiguration rather than full fit out: Rather than refit a whole office, look to retain some of the layers and reconfigure the space to meet the new needs of the occupants.

Recycling is the outermost ring of the circular economy and so is less desirable than reuse or designing out waste. However, it is not always possible to use reused or refurbished products and in these situations contractors should look to source products with high levels of recycled content within them.

Many manufacturers offer closed loop recycling take back schemes where they take offcut and stripped out material to be directly recycled into new products; this is common in the plasterboard and carpet industries. Closed loop recycling means the material keeps its value and is recycled into a new product of the same value with the same material properties; this is a circular option, where the value is retained.

Be careful to ensure that you are using a manufacturer's closed loop recycling take back scheme, rather than a scheme where they simply send materials on for general recycling and are not recycled directly into new products. A lot of materials that are recycled are in fact downcycled, where the value of the material decreases until the material cannot be utilised anymore.

For instance, solid wood will be chipped and remade into boards, which then may be chipped again and made into animal bedding where its life is likely finished before being incinerated or composted.

Buildings should be thought of as ‘material banks’. The materials are ‘deposited’ into the building during its construction, but as they retain value over time, they should be ‘withdrawn’ at the end of their original building’s life to be used for another purpose.

When designing and building a space, the end of life and deconstruction of the space should be given as much consideration as its install and daily use. The installers have the most knowledge on how to deconstruct spaces and products, it’s vital that this information is written down in a deconstruction guide or operation and maintenance manual for when the space is stripped out. This should include information on how the element, product or space has been constructed, the fastenings that were used, the best techniques for deconstruction in layers etc.

Where possible, mechanical fastenings should be used, as they allow for materials and products to be carefully removed and separated, whereas adhesives and glues can prevent easy separation of materials and can impede the recyclability of the materials. There should also be an aim to install materials that can easily be removed; demountable partitions, for example, can be removed with much less wastage of materials.