CIRCULÉIRE MEMBER CASE STUDY
COMPANY: ARCOLOGY
WEBSITE: ARCOLOGYSYSTEM.COM
SECTION: BUILT ENVIRONMENT
PUBLISHED: 24 APRIL 2024
TAGS: FOOD WASTE, CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL


ABOUT ARCOLOGY SYSTEM
Arcology System is a smart and data-driven interior construction system that offers modularity and adaptability, unlocking circular economy value in the way that commercial fit-outs are financed, designed, procured, built, and managed for REITs (real estate investment trusts), developers, and end-users. Fit-outs are activities that prepare a commercial tenant’s interior space for occupation, such as installing flooring, ceilings, partitions, and furnishings.
THE CHALLENGE
Buildings account for 39% of annual global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, with 28% originating from building operations and 11% from building materials and construction activities (Fonseca, 2023). In Ireland, construction and demolition generate nine million tonnes of waste (EPA, 2023), that’s about the same weight as 12,857 fully loaded Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Furthermore, most of this material is not being reused or recycled (Nugent, 2023).
Urgent decarbonisation is driving REITs and landlords to invest in energy and building retrofitting to reduce carbon emissions, meet regulations, and reduce financial risk, but they are struggling to find solutions to embodied carbon. Embodied carbon refers to the GHG emissions arising from materials and construction processes across the entire lifecycle of a building, as measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e) (Fonseca, 2023).
THE CIRCULAR OPPORTUNITY
Arcology System is a circular kit-of-parts approach to interior construction that aims to solve several problems within commercial interior fit-outs on both the supply and demand side, including inflexibility, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and labour shortages. It uses lightweight, post-consumer recycled aluminium profiles to create a “smart grid” that can integrate various interior components (doors, walls, ceilings, lighting), allowing for easy adaptability and upgradability of the space. The system reduces waste and the use of new materials, thus contributing to a circular economy. Clients can either purchase the
hardware outright or lease it (Product-as-a- Service) as an operating expense.
Integrated Internet of Things (IoT) sensors collect real-time data on environmental conditions, occupancy, and asset tracking, which is gathered within a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) assisted operations and integrated workplace management system (IWMS) platform. This data provides insights into how the space is being used and identifies generative-design layouts for improvement using already purchased modules. The material chain of custody and ‘golden thread