Well may be, but we did not lose sight of what we felt were the opportunities of place-making and culture setting in being an important element in solving some of the big problems in the world of infrastructure.. Zoom forward several years and the moment seemed right.

Understand the potential reuse of buildings or building components locally, including the need to transport and store materials.. Balance cut and fill to reduce off-site waste and new material brought to construction sites.. Use lean design principles to reduce the amount of material overall.This will also reduce the embodied carbon..

Consider design for deconstruction at the start of the design process rather than try to retrofit it into the design part way through.. Be clear on the potential flexibility that is needed by the proposed occupants and consider what future flexibility could be included with minimal additional materials, allowing the building to be adaptable and future-fit..Embrace digital design to have more understanding and control over the design decisions and material quantities.. Use recycled materials wherever possible and adapt project aspirations to suit..Develop clear and concise operation and maintenance (O&M) information to enable the future building to be well maintained and have the potential to be reused or recycled as valuable components in the future..

Consider each layer of a building, with a different strategy for each which responds to the life expectancy of each layer..Conclusion: driving greater sustainability.

Sustainable construction methods and designing for the circular economy are both possible, and essential.

Bryden Wood’s long-term commitment to design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) shows how it is entirely possible to design varied and beautiful buildings using standardised, component-based designs that naturally promote reductions in materials, optimisation of components, reductions in embodied and operational carbon, and plan for end of life reuse..This view is in stark contrast to some who believe we will see offerings in three to five years.

The difference may be in the maturity of the technology.Without proven repeatability, regulation will remain arduous.

Development is in progress, but the market is still some years from a pilot..Some of the group suggested that the market for this technology is currently dysfunctional: modular nuclear developers have an idea and are looking for niche markets (for instance, replacing coal-fired power stations with SMRs, as well as data centre power).