With the above slogan of New Horizon, the municipality of Wijchen ventured how it gives substance to circularity; by 'harvesting' materials from the former town hall for reuse.
Building, rebuilding and renovating should become sustainable and circular. The ambitions are firm, for realisation we need everyone; clients, builders, knowledge institutions and suitable personnel.
Bea Schouten receives us at the House of the Municipality in Wijchen. As alderman, she is responsible for a broad portfolio: Climate and energy, Welfare and health, WMO and youth care, Sports, Art, Culture and recreation. She also coordinates activities in the field of circular construction and infrastructure, as spearhead of circular construction and infrastructure of the Green Metropolitan Region Arnhem-Nijmegen.
She describes herself as an ambassador who puts stewardship, sustainability and circularity on the agenda and promotes them.
Concrete and local
A concrete example of circularity is within walking distance of its current workplace. In the former town hall, on behalf of the municipality, New Horizon 'harvests' materials according to the principle of 'urban mining'.
"Materials are removed from the building and reused within New Horizon's network," Schouten says. "In this way, connections are created between companies that find new uses for existing materials. Such networks and marketplaces, where 'harvesters' and (re)users find each other, make circularity concrete and give similar initiatives a boost.
In addition, the Green Metropolitan Region has plans to set up marketplaces where, for example, farmers and builders can meet, we as a municipality are happy to cooperate in this."
"When tendering for the construction of a new residential area in Wijchen, we are steering towards sustainability and circularity. We are asking the developers of the two largest new construction projects in our municipality to contribute ten thousand euros per free-sector house they build in these projects. This money will go into the Housing Fund. From this fund, the liveability of existing neighbourhoods that need it most will be improved, including by making these neighbourhoods more sustainable and providing them with more greenery and less stone."
Playing field
Circularity is an important aspect of sustainable housing construction, maintenance and renovation. Schouten: "According to the Woondeal between central government, Gelderland province and 18 municipalities, the Arnhem-Nijmegen region will have to add thousands of homes by 2040, with sustainability, circularity and liveability weighing heavily. From 2030, the Arnhem-Nijmegen region aims to build at least 50 per cent circularly to achieve a circular living environment by 2050.
That is the playing field. The playing field within it is determined, among other things, by legal -, financial economic opportunities, training and the labour market."
With circular construction, materials can be reused at the same level
Realising this ambition requires a diametrically different mindset regarding material use, education and policy support in building and designing the living environment. As client, the government has an important pioneering and exemplary role in this.
Building the future
"Traditional housing construction still dominates, but is becoming a challenge due to resource depletion and environmental and health burdens. The construction of the future is modular, circular and bio-based," said a firm Bernd Hendriksen.
He is co-founder of mHome, a Nijmegen-based business combination that develops, finances and builds biobased modular housing units. "The advantages are obvious. With circular construction, materials can be reused at the same level. In addition, there is a passport of each material with its origin and composition.
Biobased building adds the element of using only 'regrowable' materials, such as wood, wood fibre and metisse.
Modular construction has the great advantage that the modules are manufactured in series in a factory-like working and process environment. CO2 emissions and nuisance on the building site are practically zero, as we erect the buildings in a few days. In addition, the modules can be switched into many variants, allowing a building to grow or shrink according to users' needs."
Currently, this method of construction is still a niche. Hendriksen: "The trick is to get over the tipping point in volume, reducing costs and making the concept even more attractive to clients."
Hendriksen disputes the idea that circular and bio-based concepts are only suitable for building in small numbers: "The materials are available, the production method determines how quickly you can increase the building volume. We are already working on behalf of housing corporations and healthcare institutions".
"It is important to show that circular building is simply possible. Project developers and users must be able to see and experience concretely what a circular house looks like, how it is built and what the financial benefits are in the long run. That will win over parties. With the ambition of the Woondeal, we are growing towards that situation and that tipping point."
Here, houses grow
Christiaan Holland, director of Hub Holland and quartermaster at Via-T draws the circular construction perspective more broadly.
"In circular and bio-based building, I also see a big role for the agricultural sector in terms of growing building materials such as wood, flax and hemp. In De Liemers, a trial is running in which agricultural companies supply biogas to brick factories. This creates a sustainable cycle and an alternative earning model. You can also support such initiatives as a province and The Economic Board.
In this way, an agrohome sector of growing, processing and using can grow alongside an agrofood. I can already see the slogan: 'Houses grow here'. It is a cycle that can become an earning model for all parties and a lot of work is being done on the knowledge and skills on this."
In terms of knowledge and expertise around circular building, Holland is the focal point as Via-T quartermaster. "Via-T is the knowledge centre for innovation, sustainability, circularity and craftsmanship for future-proof construction.
Concretely, this is done through cooperation between vocational education and construction and installation companies. Through close cooperation with MBO, HBO and WO, Via-T contributes to knowledge development on future-proof construction and ensures that regional SMEs can make use of this knowledge. It also ensures more 'carpenters of the future' with the right skills."
"Starting point was the Nijmegen Hubertushal. Via-T is currently in transition and temporarily housed at Streekweg in Nijmegen, pending new construction in Nijmegen West. Here, training facilities, exhibitions of the latest techniques and innovations will have their place in full. But Via-T is more than a physical location, it is a community in which partners work together. There are now 50 parties on board," Holland outlines.
"One thing is clear, sustainable and circular building requires a totally new approach: different work processes, new methods and techniques, using different materials, different logistics and training professionals from a sustainable point of view. MBO and HBO courses are already implementing this in their curricula. The new optics and approach is seeping into work practices, but Via-T is going to firmly step up the pace and influence."
Realising the sustainable and circular ambitions of the Woondeal is a tour de force. Holland calls it 'the big rebuild'. Local initiatives in conjunction with regional cooperation between parties form the basis, they give hands and feet to the big change in thinking and doing that must be realised while working.
This article also appeared on the website of Het Ondernemersbelang
