Are you working in the construction or design sector and would you like to contribute to the future of circular construction? Join this gathering of the Platform Ruimtelijk Ontwerp (PRO), where we will explore the actions needed to make material reuse in construction an everyday reality.

Circular ambitions in the construction sector are nothing new, and for good reason: carbon budgets are running out and raw materials are becoming scarcer. Reusing what already exists is simply the most logical way to reduce our impact on the planet. Yet the everyday practice doesn’t transition quickly enough, and the good intentions of designers, contractors, developers and governments often do not lead to sufficient results.

Meanwhile, the sector is grappling with crucial questions. How do you design with reclaimed materials instead of off-the-shelf building products? How do we open up material flows efficiently and fairly, and who keeps track of what becomes available during demolition or renovation? Who stores reclaimed materials, and where? And how do you manage guarantees, insurance and financial risks? Precisely in the existing city, circular ambitions pose complex challenges, but also the highest impact potential, if we approach buildings, materials and the people already living and working there more wisely.

During this gathering, we will map the challenges together and look for possible solutions. Because collective action is what it takes to make circular ambitions a reality in the existing city.

Programme

Reserve your free spot via this link.

• 15:30: doors open
• 16:00: start
• 18:00: drinks

Please note: this event will be in Dutch. This session is not limited to people working in Rotterdam; everyone working in construction or design is welcome to join.

Presentations by:

• Floris Schiferli (Superuse Studios)
• Lena van der Wal & Marcella Wong (C’MON)
• Sophie Duran & Daniel Bieckmann (Gemeente Rotterdam)

About Platform Ruimtelijk Ontwerp

With the Platform Ruimtelijk Ontwerp, AIR stimulates exchange and knowledge-sharing within Rotterdam’s design sector and the city administration. The platform’s members reflect the range of offices based and working in Rotterdam. The network gathers at least three times a year and seeks to foster open dialogue between the municipality, the alderman and the design community on Rotterdam’s spatial challenges. The platform sharpens the architecture policy note in the form of an annual action agenda. The PRO is organised in collaboration with the Municipality of Rotterdam.