Don’t waste the waste – construction firms urged

That’s the message from a Brighton architecture and sustainability expert who is hosting an international exhibition and seminar aimed at promoting the circular economy.

Duncan Baker-Brown, senior lecturer in the University of Brighton’s School of Architecture and Design, will be at Futurebuild, at ExCeL, London, between 3-5 March, along with 27,000 industry “influencers and shapers”.

Duncan, the man behind the university’s award-winning Waste House, will host ‘Resourceful Materials’ at Futurebuild, a three-day symposium with invited experts from across Europe. They will discuss ways to dramatically reduce the amount of natural resources consumed by the construction industry every year.

In addition, Duncan will be taking part in a discussion in the Main Arena on 3 March. Entitled “The Future is regenerative’ he will discuss what architects and designers need to do next to meet the ambitions of being net carbon zero by 2050. 

Duncan Baker-Brown

Duncan is supported by the university’s Responsible Futures which focuses on sustainable economic development, improved environments and more inclusive societies. He is also supported at ‘Resourceful Materials’ by resource and circular economy expert Cat Fletcher who sourced much of the thrown-away materials used to construct the Waste House at the university’s City Campus in Grand Parade, Brighton.

Nick Gant, principal lecturer in the university’s School of Architecture and Design, and Dr Andreas Lampropoulos, principal lecturer in the university’s School of Environment and Technology, will be speaking on the subject at the event on 2 March.

Duncan said: “Climate change is at the top of the political agenda and we are encouraging as many people as possible – including our students – to attend so they can learn more and spread the word about the urgent need to boost the circular economy.”

Recent years, he said, have seen a dramatic reduction in construction and demolition waste but “while this is great news, there’s lots of room for improvement as this sector still creates 120m tonnes of waste a year.

“We can’t continue throwing away these resources that are not ‘rubbish’ but simply materials in the wrong place.”