Circular design economy is the right answer to Middle East’s construction sector

Instead, we will be building sustainably and future-proof through recycling and minimising waste. Construction of homes and businesses is a major contributor to the built environment and essential to a thriving economy. Structures provide shelter from an increasingly volatile natural environment, fuel economic activity, link employees to employment opportunities, and serve as the backbone of communities. Reliable buildings that provide shelter, housing, and community connections are essential to society and the economy. However, the construction industry accounts for around 53% of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses over 60% of the world's materials. Raw material supplies will be put under unprecedented strain as a result of population expansion, the need for more residential constructions, forthcoming refurbishment waves, and climate change.

For many years, the building industry has been working toward a more environmentally friendly approach to the use of building materials, but the shift toward a circular economy in the construction sector has not yet occurred. To make this crucial change, we need the help of a wide range of national and international stakeholders. Companies specialising in demolition, construction, wholesale, banking, real estate, architecture, clients both public and private, builders, investors, government, academia, and the scientific community are all included.

The construction boom currently underway in GCC countries renders the use of traditional methods impossible. The difficulty with typical construction approaches is that they introduce waste and utilise finite resources. Instead, GCC countries should utilise the circular economy concept to make construction more efficient, control its environmental impact, and achieve sustainable growth.

The latest projections suggest that the value of GCC capital projects over the next five years could exceed one trillion dollars. Numerous large-scale projects, such as the city of NEOM in the country's northwest, the Red Sea Project (which is designed to attract tourists), and Al Qiddiyah Entertainment City, indicate that Saudi Arabia has a bright future in terms of development.

But if governments in the GCC don't abandon their antiquated methods of building, they will waste enormous quantities of resources (including land, materials, and human labour). Already, between 35 and 40 percent of the construction industry's solid waste is generated through traditional building methods and destined for landfills.

“Over recent years, the industry has strived to understand its impact on the environment, innovate its methods and process and its resource use. In driving a sustainable industry across the Middle East, the construction industry has made considerable progress in its overall impact,” stated Cynthia Corby, Partner and Regional Construction Industry Leader, Deloitte Middle East.

The GCC countries might adopt circular economy methods to carry out their construction plans more effectively and with less damage to the environment. Such systems view waste as a preventable loss of value and work to close the material loop at every stage of the production and consumption value chains. In fact, between 2020 and 2030, the GCC countries might gain about $23 billion from implementing the circular economy in construction and the built environment generally, which is comparable to about 0.8% of GCC-region GDP.

Problems with the Environment and their Hidden Prices

The industry's massive resource consumption and the inherent inefficiency of its construction procedures and production methods lead to extremely high levels of emissions.

Cement, for instance, is a crucial component of concrete, the most used building material in the world, according to a report by the Chatham House, an international affairs think tank. The cement manufacturing process releases a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere due to the chemical and thermal combustion steps involved. More over 4 billion tonnes of cement are made annually, and this accounts for around 8 percent of all manmade carbon dioxide emissions.

The industry has far-reaching effects on the environment due to its heavy energy consumption and emission of greenhouse gases, which contribute considerably to Climate Change. The World Green Building Council estimates that the construction industry uses more than half of the world's raw materials and that 35 percent of all landfill trash comes from demolition and construction.

Not only does the business cause noise pollution, but it also alters landscapes and poses a threat to local wildlife. High levels of Health & Safety protection and regulations are necessary to safeguard the wellbeing of construction workers given the inherently hazardous nature of the construction process.

After completion, buildings still have an impact on the environment by consuming resources such as electricity for lighting, heating, and air conditioning, as well as for the transportation of water and garbage. The construction and real estate business is expanding to satisfy the needs of expanding people, but this might have unintended negative consequences. However, the substantial social and economic value that construction offers in the forms of infrastructure, housing, jobs, technical innovation, economic stimulus, and development more than makes up for this.

Circular economy could be a real game changer

For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) construction industry to adopt the circular economy, stakeholders must be involved in all phases of the project.

Planners in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries should focus on creating livable communities where people want to live, work, and play. As a result, fewer people would have to rely on their own vehicles and more people would take advantage of public transportation. As a result of increased efficiency brought about by sharing and multi-use of existing facilities, the construction of brand-new structures is often avoided. Buildings' useful lives can be prolonged through adaptive reuse thanks to careful planning. District cooling can be mandated by city planners in locations where it makes sense. Consolidating the need for cooling into one central system is how district cooling functions. Chilled water is sent to numerous structures from a single location via a system of pipes. Given that cooling accounts for the greatest share of energy consumption in the GCC region, the 20-30% reduction in electricity used by district cooling is a significant savings.

The circular economy should be incorporated into design by governments and regulators. They can do this by mandating that energy and water efficiency features be included in the designs of all new construction. Cost-effective and ecologically friendly methods exist for lowering utility usage. A high-performance building envelope, for instance, will limit the amount of money wasted on heating and cooling. In light of advances in technology, building design, and construction techniques, GCC countries should update their legislation governing energy efficiency. Installing solar photovoltaic panels is another option for builders interested in using sustainable energy sources to power their projects.

Lastly, architects and builders need to employ eco-friendly practises. Modular construction, in which modules are assembled off-site at a factory, is one method that can be promoted by authorities. Modular building has the potential to reduce construction time and labour costs by a significant amount. Modular building also benefits from the ability to accommodate shifting space requirements. In London's Borough of Lewisham, for instance, a 24-unit, dismantlable and transportable modular housing community was built on a former brownfield. Using 3D printing in building can save time and money because it requires far less material and labour than traditional methods.

Dubai adopted 3D printing

Dubai has already started their own 3D printing initiative. But to get the most out of the change, you need a concerted effort where all the components of a circular built environment can work together.

As a step toward achieving a material closed-loop, one option is to establish a trading platform where dismantled components can be bought, sold, and reused. To facilitate such a market, regulators and industry should implement a "material passport" to guarantee the quality of salvaged materials. The United Kingdom already has Environmate, a platform where construction companies can trade off scraps. Changing construction regulations is another way for governments and regulators to promote material reuse. Amsterdam requires that demolition and construction be coordinated so that resources can be reused.

There are extensive building plans throughout the GCC countries. To make these new buildings long-lasting, more energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly than ever before, they will need to employ circular economy strategies.

Steps taken

Two large-scale efforts that are "creating an ambitious road map that rallies the region and significantly contributes to attaining global targets in combating climate change" have been launched recently: the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.

The initiatives aim to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded lands, generate 50% of Saudi Arabia's energy from renewables by 2030, and increase the rate of waste diversion from landfills to 94% in an effort to combat desertification, air pollution, and threats to marina and coastal environments. Rehabilitation of 200 million hectares of degraded land will be made possible by the initiative's coordination with surrounding GCC countries and other Middle Eastern countries.

Noor Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates is an 8-kilometer-long, 3.2-million-solar-panel installation, making it the largest single-site solar project in the world. By increasing renewable energy output and decreasing dependency on natural gas for power generation, this initiative will reduce annual carbon emissions by 1 million metric tonnes, the equivalent of removing 200,000 cars from the road.

The Al Dafra Solar PV plant is another major alternative energy project in the UAE; once completed, it will provide electricity to about 160,000 homes across the UAE; and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is a phased project delivering a range of photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power technologies; once finished, it will prevent the annual release of over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.