Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs spoke to a panel of experts today in Eindhoven about the circular economy and architecture, as part of Dutch Design Week 2019.
The panel included Overtreders W's co-founder Hester van Dijk, architect and author Thomas Rau and architect Marco Vermeulen.
A circular economy is an economic model that minimises consumption, the waste of finite resources and the destruction of ecosystems, by instead continually reusing materials.
The talk explored the ways in which built environment practitioners can reconcile this alternative economic system with their designs, processes and business models.
Hester van Dijk of Overtreders W will be joining the panel
Van Dijk is the co-founder of Amsterdam design agency Overtreders W, which often employs the principles of the circular economy in it projects. Examples include a temporary, zero-waste barn and restaurant made from borrowed materials, and a pavilion for Dutch Design Week last year that had almost no ecological footprint.
Architect and author Thomas Rau will be on the panel
Rau is the founder of Amsterdam-based firm RAU Architects. Earlier this year, the practice built a thatched observatory for bird watching, which can be deconstructed and rebuilt in a different location.
With Sabine Oberhuber, he is also the co-author of Material Matters. The book explores sustainable methods of consumption and production.
Amsterdam-based architect Marco Vermeulen will join the panel
Vermeulen is th...