A major research initiative has been launched to help the UK construction industry make the transition to a greener, more sustainable future by reducing waste, energy and pollution.
The Government hopes it will result in a decrease in the half a million tonnes of natural resources consumed each day by the sector.
The researchers will look at ways of embedding the principles of the circular economy across the construction industry, to move it away from a linear business model of raw materials being extracted, processed and then discarded - to one where materials are designed to be continually re-used.
UK Research and Innovation has today (11 November) given £4.35 million to a consortium of universities - including Lancaster - to establish the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Minerals-Based Construction Materials.
Lancaster's role in the project will be to add expertise in soil science, specifically the circular economy of soils used in construction.
Professor John Quinton of Lancaster University's Environment Centre said: "Maintaining and restoring the soils affected by the construction process is vitally important. Soils affected by construction can play a key role in controlling flooding and pollution and it is vital that we develop better ways of restoring their ability to retain water and contaminants."
The construction industry is an important economic sector which is expected to be delivering £600 billion-worth of major infrastructure works over the next decade.
The new research centre will address the problem through three approaches: looking at material stocks and flows, analysing at what point materials may become waste; solving technical barriers to circularity and looking at how business models and guidelines can encourage a move away from build-use-demolish - with solutions such as designing building modules that can be dismantled and reused, and identifying new uses for materials that are currently regarded as worthless once used.
Professor Julia Stegemann, from University College London and Principal Investigator in the project, said: "We will also study how any changes to practices around minerals use would affect the environment and the economy, such as greenhouse gas emissions, costs to businesses or jobs.
"And we'll assess how changes in current business models and practices could support use of less mineral-based construction materials, such as how they might be able to move more quickly to new technologies, or how they might use digital technologies to keep track of materials."
The construction sector and industrial partners are supporting the project.
Rob Askew, Director of Askew and Associates said: "Soil and land restoration is a major issue facing the construction industry, and is a major priority for our work on national infrastructure projects, such as Highways England's Lower Thames Crossing."
LafargeHolcim is a multi-national supplier of cement, concrete and aggregates for the global construction industry. Its scientific director Christophe Levy said: "LafargeHolcim is committed to improve the sustainability of the construction industry and the adoption of circular economy practices is a key component of this."
The Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Economy for Minerals-Based Construction Materials is one of four centres announced by UK Research and Innovation to advance the principles of the circular economy. The others cover the textile, chemicals and metals sectors in a research initiative totalling £22.5 million from the Government.
