Design Once, Use Twice: Better Documentation for Circular Construction

Construction consumes massive volumes of raw materials and resources. According to the Green Building Council of Australia, nearly 50% of all the world’s resource use is in some way associated with the built environment. Despite growing awareness, only a fraction of those resources are recovered or reused.

In fact, the CSIRO estimates Australia’s “circularity rate” — the proportion of resources reused or recycled into new products — sits at just under 5%. This leaves the sector highly exposed to material scarcity, price volatility, and environmental pressures.

This is not sustainable because non-renewable resources, including iron ore and construction sand will become scarce, leading to major supply chain issues and material cost increases. The energy and water consumed in creating new products and materials is also problematic, and overall, the manufacture and consumption of products in the built environment also generates 37% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.

But there is another way.

Circular economy principles are gaining traction across government, finance, and industry. These principles are reshaping how we approach the built environment — from design and procurement through to operations, deconstruction, and reuse.

The Opportunity: Circular Economy in Action

At its core, a circular economy aims to reduce reliance on virgin materials, extend the life of products, and keep resources circulating in high-value uses. For construction, this means shifting from a "take, make, waste" approach to one that prioritises designing for reuse, preserving embodied carbon, and eliminating waste at every stage.

Let’s explore how this shift plays out in practice — and how construction professionals can plan, document, and collaborate to support it.

1. Existing Buildings as Material Banks

On brownfield sites, demolition has traditionally been the default first step. But developers and design teams are increasingly viewing existing buildings as material banks — sources of structural components, fit-out elements, and surplus materials that can be reused or reallocated.

This often begins with surveys by a structural engineer that might be undertaken to establish which parts of the structure can be retained and refurbished to meet current code specifications or the new project design requirements. In some cases, legacy HVAC systems, finishes, or cabling can be preserved or redeployed. Leftover materials may be passed on to other projects, suppliers, or second-hand markets.

To achieve this, either a specialist consultant or a member of the developer or contractor team will need to put some time into research and engaging with potential recipients. 

2. Design for Circularity

Circular design doesn’t mean compromising on performance or aesthetics. Instead, it means planning for adaptability, disassembly, and reuse — from day one.

A recent report by Arup and the Ellen McArthur Foundation, Unlocking value in buildings: developing the business case for building circular, shows there are some key practical steps to designing projects for circularity. They include design and specification for assembly and disassembly. For example:

• Connections that are bolted rather than welded
• Specify modular elements that are easier to remove and redeploy
• Choose materials and assemblies that can be repaired or refurbished.

For example, engineered timber and steel floor cassettes are generally easier to reuse than cast-in-place concrete. Similarly, drywall systems designed for deconstruction can reduce waste and accelerate future renovations.

It’s a matter of thinking about end-of-life at the beginning — during design and procurement — to identify where materials and products can be reused, repaired, disassembled, or repurposed in the future. This thinking should be reflected in specifications, procurement documents, and design briefs, with clear documentation to guide downstream decisions.

3. Procuring with Stewardship in Mind

Manufacturers and suppliers are responding to the growing interest in resource stewardship and circular economy with a range of innovations including products-as-a-service, take-back schemes, extended producer responsibility schemes and disclosure of end-of-life matters.

Products-as-a-Service (PaaS)

In this model, instead of buying outright, developers or facilities managers lease materials or systems from the manufacturer. This creates incentives for suppliers to design for durability, reuse, and easy maintenance.

Carpet tiles were one of the first products widely available for new construction fit-outs, and renewable energy providers were early adopters also, with companies offering solar PV on a leased basis for both commercial and multi-residential buildings.

Recent research from RMIT suggests that more manufacturers will begin to consider the PaaS model as a way of closing the loop with their products, reducing raw material input costs and creating stronger partnerships with their construction industry customers.

Take Back Schemes

Some manufacturers offer programs to recover their products at end-of-life for recycling or remanufacture. This is already common for ceiling panels and plasterboard, and the list is expanding.

Extended Producer Responsibility

One of the materials that too often goes to landfill during demolition work is telecommunications and data cabling. This is a lightweight material with a massive environmental footprint due to the combination of copper writing and PVC cable sheathing, plus all the various plastics in connectors, plugs, sockets and so forth. 

Likewise, monitor screens, LED displays and other products have substantial footprints. These all fall into the category of eWaste, just like laptops and mobile phones, and there is a government-backed scheme for the disposal and recycling of these products and materials.

Extended producer responsibility schemes also apply to refrigerants, which means all legacy HVAC equipment, heat pump units and refrigeration equipment should be consigned to an appropriate recycler who will ensure refrigerants are safely degassed and the metals and other elements of the equipment appropriately recycled.

4. Disclosure and Documentation

For builders and trades working on projects with Green Star ambitions, obtaining documentation in the form of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), eco-certifications or other environmental impact data is generally standard practice. But even in projects not targeting formal credentials, this documentation can support better decision-making and clearer stakeholder engagement.

Because so many manufacturers and suppliers have created this documentation in order to meet the demand from the green building sector, most credible manufacturers and suppliers will be able to provide some form of relevant information, even when a project is not targeting a formal green credential.

Key data points to look for:

• Percentage of recycled content
• Carbon footprint of production
• Recyclability at end-of-life

Closing The Loop

As the adoption of some or all of the key principles of circular economy gathers pace across finance, regulators, manufacturing and asset management, it will become easier to integrate it within a project value chain. 

Transitioning to a circular approach requires upfront planning — but it pays off over time. With increasing pressure from regulators, lenders, and clients to demonstrate sustainability, embedding circularity can offer both strategic and commercial benefits.

The key is to embed these considerations into:

• Design briefs and specifications
• Procurement and tender processes
• Construction and handover documentation
• Facilities management workflows

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