Closing Loops: that small but big building

The circular economy is a hot discussion topic, and for a good reason. The current linear economic system - where materials are taken from nature and made into products to be used and discarded - is taking humanity beyond the limits of earth's carrying capacity. The world should move rapidly towards a circular economy, where existing materials and products are recycled and reused. More efficient use of resources will reduce pressure on nature and provide relief from both biodiversity and the climate crises. If successful, the circular economy will address our entrenched patterns of production and consumption and thus accelerate the necessary change at a systemic level.

But how do we make this transition in practice?

According to the Circle Economy's Circularity Gap report, the world is currently only 7.2% circular. What is more worrying is that the overconsumption of natural resources continues to accelerate: according to UNEP, resource consumption will increase by up to 60% from 2020 levels by 2060.

More real-life examples are needed

"The circular economy is a megatrend and circular construction is a major theme in research, also in Aalto University's department of architecture. But the fact is that research needs much more empirical evidence and concrete examples of circular economy construction," says Associate Professor Antti Lehto. He is leading the Closing Loops project, in which a warehouse concept is being designed for the City of Helsinki. Apart for its foundations, all of the building materials are recycled.

"Temporary pavilions have of course already been built from recycled materials, and there have even been experiments in the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland with the recycling of load-bearing structures. But the Closing Loops concept is for permanent use, in the challenging weather conditions of Helsinki. We can use the project to experiment with different things: what does the use of recycled materials mean for design, material acceptability and safety? How can the legally binding construction requirements be met and tests be passed, and how does monitoring work? The aim is to streamline circular construction practices and create a replicable storage concept."

The project is exceptionally comprehensive. It originated in a student design competition organised by the City of Helsinki and won by Aalto University architecture students Johanna and Markus Saarela. In addition to the Saarelas, the follow-up design team includes Havu Järvelä andAntti Lehto. Since then, the project has expanded into a joint research and learning platform between the Aalto University department of architecture and the department of civil engineering, the Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster Programme and the City of Helsinki's construction services company Stara. The aim is not only to monitor the design and implementation phases from a research point of view, but also to continue monitoring after implementation. This will provide information on the ageing of the structures and the behaviour of the materials in different seasons and heating periods. The long-term objective is to take the good practices into industrial processes. In addition, the City of Helsinki will produce its own report on the project and develop its activities on the basis of this report.

The project will thus make circular economy a reality, not only one warehouse at a time, but also by spreading good practices to city and industrial processes. It is a pilot project that is bigger than itself.

The world's finest warehouse

Closing Loops will be built in Mustikkamaa, Helsinki, during 2025. It will provide not only storage space for the City of Helsinki's outdoor sports facilities, but also warm spaces such as a maintenance hall and social facilities, totalling 470 square metres. The building is intended to be recognisable and beautiful at the same time. Although the concept is replicable, each warehouse is of course unique - depending on the recycled materials available. The first building uses, among other things, windows from the old Helsinki Central Post Office, a façade style from Malmi Airport and parts of a building designed by the architectural couple Heikki and Kaija Sirén.

All the materials have a past life and this can be seen in a certain collage-like quality. What they have in common, however, is a small carbon footprint. Emissions are mainly generated from transport during construction and from the materials used for the foundations.

Antti Lehto says: "Today's construction must be low-carbon, ecological and have a low impact on nature. By these criteria, quite a few of today's buildings are starting to look old-fashioned."

It could be argued that Closing Loops represents a new definition of cutting-edge architecture. It takes materials from the man-made environment rather than gnawing away at nature - by mining earth and metals or cutting down trees. A small, beautiful warehouse could be a perfect example of what luxury looks like in the future.

"It will definitely be the finest warehouse in the world."
 

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Assistant Professor Antti Lehto
Aalto University, Department of Architecture
[email protected]
+358 50 413 4414