The construction sector is at the beginning of a total shift in how it operates at all levels. It is one of the most polluting sectors, both in terms of carbon emissions and waste sent to landfill – and that has to change quickly.
Doing so will mean reviewing and changing practices at all levels of the business. One of the most important ways to do this is through taking a hard look at the products used in property development and our approach to procurement.
Instead of always going for the cheapest option, more specifiers, developers and architects are highlighting sustainability as their main criteria. This is a systemic shift and is leading to new ideas, perhaps the most important of which will turn out to the seeing buildings as materials banks (BAMB).
The goal of this idea is no less than to bring buildings fully into the circular economy and ensuring that building materials no longer end up as waste when they are no longer needed, the building is adapted for another use, or it is refurbished.
Materials do not have to be single-use, and by increasing their reusability and overall quality, it is possible to make recycling and reuse both desirable and the preferred option.
If this can be achieved, buildings can come to be seen as ‘banks’ of materials that are useful not just in the construction of the building, but for many years afterwards. This is a substantial reimagining of buildings which are normally viewed as standalone and separate from each other and the rest of the world.
However, this is not the case as each building is part of a larger urban environment. The materials used in one building are not forever separate from everything else around them, they are part of the whole.
By prioritising high quality, reusable materials in buildings, we can embed extra value in them and make it worthwhile to use those materials again once the purpose of the building has changed – making the building part of the interconnected circular economic thinking that we need to adapt in the age of climate change.
There are many materials available on the market that fulfil these criteria including Specwall which has been designed from the ground up to be sustainable, reusable and an active participant in a circular built environment.
Our panels are fully demountable and can be reused in their entirety by cutting and regluing the panels. This flexibility increases the material sustainability of the building and future proofs it against future needs.
That is just one of the ways in which Specwall supports a sustainable and cost effective construction future. It is a great example of a product which is ‘banked’ in a building with the promise of offering further use once the building’s lifespan is complete.
Specwall has also undergone a full Life Cycle Assessment as part of achieving our Environmental Product Declaration and can even play a role in helping you achieve a higher BREEAM rating.
Want to learn more about Specwall’s environmental performance and how it can make your building more sustainable throughout its life cycle? Get in touch with the team today by clicking here.
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