Lessons in circular economy from the Global South towards a new pedagogy for architectural education.

Western culture has imposed itself economically, socially and environmentally upon the Global South. The Global North’s economic model has been linear in nature with waste as its ultimate product. This is unsustainable for a finite planet. There is a developing interest in the concept of the circular economy (CE) in which we, as custodians, conserve the earth’s finite resources through prudent production and consumption. Whilst western society is beginning to waken up to the implications of a linear environmental model, images of vast waste tips, in Global South’s expanding cities, polluting the environment, raise concerns for the residents of those cities as well as the mindset of our built environment professionals.

Ironically, the Global South has historically understood finite resources. Its culture was circular. ‘Make do and mend’ has been the mantra of indigenous societies and the livelihoods of generations. Yet the imposition of Western economic standards has subjugated this traditional approach and proffered the ambition of commercial consumption and the throw-away society. The re-adoption of a circular approach to building is the only way forward for economies if, globally, the UN sustainable development goals are to deliver an improved society for all.

Within the AEC industry this will require a new thinking for practitioners and academics which will generate a new educational pedagogy. Much of this new pedagogy is about lessons learnt and drawing from the mistakes, and engrained thinking, of the past to adopt a holistic approach to design and construction.

This paper proposes a new thinking based upon the 10R waste hierarchy. Currently the 3-level hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has been misunderstood and, subsequently, has seen a disproportionate concentration upon Recycling as the main option. However, the energy utilised in the recycling process such as, the manufacture of concrete, steel, glass or aluminium, is significant and ultimately unsustainable. Students need to consider a more holistic approach for evaluating options including refurbishment, re-manufacture, or even ‘do nothing’ which are encapsulated in the 10R waste hierarchy. A 10R approach considers a broader range of options and prompts a step-change in built environment education.

In this study, Masters of Architecture students assess the 10R waste hierarchy through CE workshops as part of the professional studies module. A range of case studies are extracted from the student’s studio work and evaluated using the 10R waste hierarchy. This collaborative approach combining the students design work and professional studies, will embed student understanding of CE in developing a client-centric approach for the design of buildings in the Global North.

The paper will consider the issues and drivers for a new educational paradigm to ensure Western architectural education is fit-for-purpose and reflects the traditional circular nature of the Global South whilst developing architects of the future.