As the demand for high-quality, low carbon construction continues to grow, our built environment must innovate and ask for more fresh thinking from every participant in a building’s lifecycle.
Transitioning to a circular economy and reducing waste from each stage of development is increasingly critical to achieving net zero and delivering a low carbon future.
Concrete is a low-maintenance material that is highly durable as well as being fire resistant, meaning that structures can be in use for a long period of time.
A building’s concrete structure can last for 100 years or longer, minimising the environmental costs associated with repairing, replacing or rebuilding the structure.
But what can be done when a concrete structure comes to the end of its natural lifecycle? And how can its constituent materials be kept in use for as long as possible?
Concrete and circularity
Canary Wharf Group is the developer behind the largest urban regeneration project in Europe, which since the 1980s has transformed 128 acres in east London’s former Docklands.
Its new Wood Wharf development by Allies & Morrison is seeing the creation of a thriving new neighbourhood hub with office spaces, thousands of homes, retail spaces and parks.
Through early engagement with its supply chain partner Aggregate Industries, a member of Holcim, the Group identified an opportunity to embrace innovative circular thinking with some of the materials being used as part of the project’s construction.
Stemming from a visit to a nearby disused quay, the team was able to crush the concrete from the 100-year old decommissioned site and break it down into its original constituent parts, including the aggregates, the cement as a paste and even the sand.
By using these recycled materials in the production of new concrete, the partners have been able to put materials circularity into practice, demonstrating one of the many ways that designers can lower the embodied carbon of concrete used in major developments and infrastructure projects.
Nominated for Circular Economy Innovation Project of the Year at the 2025 Edie awards, the project is a leading example of how to minimise waste in construction and keep materials in use for longer.
Find out more from Canary Wharf Group’s Director of ESG Sophie Goddard and Director of Structures Jonathan Ly in our latest video: Materials Circularity, UK Concrete with Canary Wharf Group - YouTube