Marianne Loof column
The term ‘circular’ is becoming a mainstay of society; circular economy, circular building, circular design. It has more or less become a hallmark, and every municipality, contractor and architect gleefully endorses it. Circular simply means ‘in a cyclic manner,’ but of course refers to the ecological idea of the nutrient cycle: “a circular economy is an economic and industrial system in which no finite resources are used, and in which all waste products can enter the system again.” The circular economy is to be preferred over a ‘linear’ economy, in which resources are finite and used only once.
So how should we understand circular ‘thinking?’ Circular thinking is definitely not to be preferred over linear thinking. Linear thinking implies thinking ahead, using proven insights to set out new trails. Circular thinking on the other hand sounds more like re-using discarded ideas.
Yet circular thinking is on the rise. A collective of developers, contractors and investors recently sent a letter to minister of internal affairs Kasja Ollongren, in which they advise the National Agenda on Housing that opening up green spaces for the construction of houses is necessary to solve the shortage.
This plee runs directly against the core idea of circularity in the built environment. Green and open public spaces are, after all, very scarce resources in The Netherlands. But even so, what frustrates more is how this lobby-group uses a serious issue - the necessary growth of the housing market and housing shortages for starters - to voice such backward concepts. It’s a collection of make-believe short-term solutions that will only stimulate uncompromised and easy building projects. It means that more of the same parties can keep on doing their same old tricks, like ‘concept’ terraced houses.
Under the guise of ‘solution,’ this is a full-blown endorsement of the linear economy. Circular here means nothing more than standard houses in a green landscape, with perhaps some ‘circular’ rooftiles. Circular thinking like this is an absolute shame. The building sector needs linear thinking, to be able to create the kinds of innovations and solutions that will brings us closer to a circular economy.
May 2018, Cobouw.nl