Dezeen partnered with flooring brand Tarkett to host a live discussion with Perkins and Will about how architects and suppliers can support the circular economy and help create carbon-neutral buildings.
Titled The circular economy: a journey towards carbon-neutral buildings, the talk explored why the industry should be moving towards a circular model.
A circular economy is a model that minimises consumption, overuse of finite resources and the destruction of ecosystems, by instead continually reusing materials.
Marcus Fairs, founder and editor-in-chief of Dezeen, spoke to Tarkett's EMEA sustainability and public affairs director Myriam Tryjefaczka and Adam Strudwick, principal of corporate interiors at Perkins and Will, about how their businesses are implementing more sustainable practices.
The speakers discussed the importance of technological innovation in architecture and design to tackle the climate emergency, as well as how designing more adaptable spaces will minimise carbon emissions.
Tryjefaczka and Strudwick explained how designers can maintain standards of beauty in their work while working more sustainably. They will also talk about how collaboration and knowledge sharing is required for the architecture and design industries to significantly reduce their impact on climate change.
Both Tarkett and Perkins and Will have recently launched initiatives intended to mitigate the impact of their work on the environment and influence the practices of the partners with which they collaborate.
Tarkett, a French multinational that makes flooring, has published an evaluation of the products in its catalogue with a colour-coded rating that indicates their environmental and health impacts.
The brand has additionally developed systems for reclaiming its products and recycling them through its ReStart programme.
Chicago-based Perkins and Will has launched a website designed to raise awareness about the harmful effects that certain products and materials can have on the environment and on human health.
Tryjefaczka joined Tarkett as the sustainability and public affairs director of its EMEA division in 2015. In her role, she represents the brand in the activities of European industry associations and think tanks in the fields of construction and the circular economy.
She has been involved in projects for the International Organisation for Standardisation, and has contributed to a white paper on the circular economy published by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation.
Before joining Tarkett, Tryjefaczka worked as a corporate sustainability manager at air purification product manufacturer Camfil, where she participated in a European Union initiative to develop standards to improve indoor air quality and the energy performance of buildings.
Strudwick, an interior designer who specialises in office spaces, joined Perkins and Will earlier this year as the principal of corporate interiors at the firm's London office.
He previously worked as principal of multidisciplinary design firm HLW, contributing to running the London studio and delivering projects across Europe, as well as leading a team tasked with advancing the company's use of technology to develop more circular and sustainable projects.
Strudwick has completed office spaces for Google, Amazon, Investec, Booking.com and Capital One.
The circular economy: a journey towards carbon-neutral buildings took place on 11 December at 2pm UK time. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.