Climate adaptation Water resilience

Circular approach at the root of design thinking

Today, 1st August, marks Earth Overshoot Day: the day in which humanity’s collective demand exceeds the planet’s capacity to regenerate resources within a year. This day underscores our collective responsibility to preserve Earth’s resources for future generations.
At OKRA, through our Academy programme, we have delved into the topic of circularity — one of the guiding principles in our practice — to design responsible solutions for people and nature.

R-strategies in circularity

Life span of different factors influencing public space projects’ designs

Designing flexible and versatile spaces

One of our ambitions is to approach every assignment with a forward-thinking mindset. As our projects age, the world around us evolves: lifestyles change, modes of movement shift and overall public space needs transform. It is therefore essential to design flexible and versatile spaces.

We need to be able to put into perspective the complexity of the context our projects develop in. Public space projects typically last 20-30 years, while trees can outlive both the projects and us. Older trees absorb significantly more CO2, making their preservation crucial. Planting new trees with ample space to grow and placing them in enduring locations is very important, but our starting point is always to preserve as many healthy grown trees as possible.

“We need to be able to put into perspective the complexity of the context our projects develop in.”

Laura Spenkelink, project leader and
curator of circularity program at OKRA academy

Our approach is to “rethink & reuse”: designing solutions to accommodate evolving needs, minimising material waste and simplifying maintenance. Incorporating multiple purposes such as ecology, climate adaptiveness, recreation, and mobility are all essential to ensure less space is needed to support individual functions.

Green: a 10% forest increase by 2030 will play an essential role in carbon absorption considering a single large 29 year old oak stores as much carbon as 1 320 small 3 year old oaks.

Mobility: new policies such as selling only emission-free cars from 2030 and continuous investment for cycle infrastructure and public transport will help to reduce the space for cars and their emissions.

A circular design process

Throughout a project’s life cycle, we integrate circularity at each stage to maximise its impact and form the foundation for further design decisions.

The initial phase is crucial for ensuring circularity is integrated throughout the process. This is when, together with the client and design team, we set ambitions and check feasibility, consider global trends, and aim to create resilient, sustainable spaces that stand the test of time.

Adding new materials should be minimised due to the significant environmental impact associated with their production, including energy consumption for extraction, and increased pollution from transportation. The use of raw materials, particularly for producing steel and concrete, greatly contributes to global CO2 emissions and loss of biodiversity.

“The initial phase is crucial for ensuring circularity is integrated throughout the design process.”

Laura Spenkelink, project leader and
curator of circularity program at OKRA academy

Circularity in Crailo

Our project in the Crailo neighbourhood exemplifies this approach to circularity. At the early phases of design, we decided to re-use and recycle most of the materials already on site. A comprehensive material inventory was conducted, categorising items into three main groups: materials to remain in place, materials to be reused, and materials to be recycled.

Material inventory on-site, categorizing items into three main groups: materials to remain in place, materials to be reused, and materials to be recycled.

Felled trees provide wood for street furniture, seating elements, or the bases for play elements, while pruning waste transforms into brushwood fences and stump walls, benefiting ecology.
Bricks are re-used on site with slim solutions , e.g. upgrading a simple concrete brick to aesthetically pleasing paths or using them as a filling for retaining walls.
Broken concrete is repurposed as a base for new concrete or as a foundation for paths, though this is only used as a last resort.

Another benefit is that on-site material storage reduces environmental impact from reduced transportation as well as saving time.

From military base to nature-inclusive neighbourhood

Developed on the site of a former military base and spread over three different municipalities, it is surrounded by forests and nature reserves. A neighbourhood will be developed here in which residents can completely withdraw into nature, in a way that perfectly meets contemporary needs.

Discover Crailo

OKRA academy as inspiration for improvement

The OKRA Academy program inspires our colleagues to enhance our knowledge and skills. This research and applied experience enable us to bring added value to our projects, ensuring that we reach the highest sustainability standards by considering core topics such as circularity and biodiversity from the initial phases of the design process.

By adopting this approach, we aim to create lasting, adaptable and ecologically responsible landscapes that serve both current and future generations.

Learn about urban biotopes

The previous OKRA academy research topic investigates how we can perceive our cities not as barriers to nature, but as potential habitats where nature can thrive.

How does succession bring landscapes to life?