ACAN Circular Economy Group
The Circular Economy group is pushing for a radical shift in the UK construction industry to design and build in line with circular economy principles. It is our mission to reimagine current building practices to enable regenerative design at all scales and stages of a project. The group is working to support the industry to transition from a linear economy to a circular system, where existing buildings and materials are considered valuable assets, and new buildings are designed with adaptability, flexibility, deconstruction, and reuse in mind.
Group Coordinators
Laura Mohirta
Laura is a Senior Architect with a focus on retrofit. She is passionate about the way we produce, utilise and reuse materials. She believes strategies around understanding existing assets, designing for adaptability and resource efficiency are key in decarbonisation of the construction industry.
Michelle Sanchez
Michelle is an experienced architectural designer and sustainability lead with a PhD in Sustainable Architecture, specializing in Whole Life Carbon Assessment and Social Value. She is passionate about designing with a holistic sustainability approach, balancing environmental, economic, and social impact. She has contributed to key industry publications and sustainability frameworks, including ACAN, LETI, and UKGBC.
CURRENT CAMPAIGNS & AIMS:
- We will continue this year with our Circular Surgery series discussing challenges in the industry
- Helping the industry track metrics and put them into action at all design stages
- Standardisation of how we report and assess Circular Economy principles
- Supporting knowledge sharing of new initiatives in the industry
- Support of development of Circular Economy Policy
Circular Economy Policy Campaign 2025
We are excited to launch our Circular Economy Policy Campaign 2025, a bold call for national policy reforms to embed circular economy principles across the entire lifecycle of the built environment addressed to the UK Government CE task Force.
The need for Circular Economy Policy reform is now!
We're thrilled to announce the successful completion of the first phase of our Circular Economy Policy Campaign 2025! Our comprehensive policy recommendations have officially been submitted to the UK Government Taskforce.
RESOURCES & LINKS
Circular Economy Design Guide
Launched on 30th January 2024, this guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview and understanding of how to design for a Circular Economy.
This document represents a culmination of hard work and contributions by multiple skilled individuals from across the industry, over the past 3 years.
🗓 Thematic Group Meetings
The group hosts monthly meetings every last Friday of the month, please join us at our next one by joining the Discord group. Contact us for details: circulareconomy@architectscan.org
Join Our Circular Economy WhatsApp Group
