Organised by Diploma 18 at the Architectural Association as part of Circular Economy Week London 2024, this event is triggered by two developments. Firstly, the fact that more and more real-world architectural projects are involving material reuse, and secondly, the fact that a new type of relationship is being forged: between architects and… let’s call them “material facilitators”. In other words, the experts – who have been around long before circularity became a thing – who can actually find and supply used materials and help incorporate them in new contexts.
Abstract consultancy reports aren’t enough. To facilitate more reuse, what we need is direct relationships that deepen the expertise of both parties and open up the possibility of reuse at the mid-scale, beyond signature boutique projects.
Reuse in the UK is at a hinge point. Common sense, BREEAM credits or strategic communication might be the initial forces steering reuse ambitions. But without supporting policies or obligatory measures in place, success with reuse operations is often down to a client’s vision and risk appetite, and the quality of these reuse relationships.
This roundtable aims to be a microphone to support practices pushing reuse forward in the UK. It is also a platform to celebrate design talent with reused material, which needs to become an intrinsic part of the architect’s repertoire. We will hear from the following duos of architects and material facilitators working together on live or completed projects, sharing their big struggles and small successes:
Dylan Radcliffe-Brown on Cowan Court, Cambridge (6A architects x BCA Matériaux Anciens)
Maria-Chiara Piccinelli + Robert Greer on LSE Firoz Lalji Global Hub, London (David Chipperfield Architects x PAYE Stonework and Restoration)
Claire Dale-Lace on the Museum of London (Stanton Williams)
Emily Wickham on Bramcote Park, Bermondsey (Assemble x Local Works)
