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christian kerez’s house okamura unfolds as circular brick columns in czechia
CategoriesArchitecture

christian kerez’s house okamura unfolds as circular brick columns in czechia

By Zarkon Group,

insnde the all-brick house okamura by christian kerez in prague

 

In Prague 6, within close proximity to Villa Müller by Adolf Loos, architect Christian Kerez completes House Okamura as a clear example of a very traditional, almost archaic method of constructing brick ‘circles’. The project, designed as an aggregate of column-like volumes, hosts three apartments with 39 rooms, combined. Kerez omitted dividing walls from the interior layout, making the outline of every single space visible from the outside. More so, thanks to their unique configuration, the apartments shift positions from floor to floor so that rooms in the vertical shafts belong to different owners. The rooms vary from 4 sqm to 18 sqm in size and 2.35 meters to 4.9 meters in height, with an additional 19 spaces in between the circular rooms, making it a total of 58 rooms.

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
all images © Maxime Delvaux

 

 

circular rooms with varying sizes, openings, and layouts

 

All spaces within one apartment of House Okamura are open to each other, with areas varying between 90 sqm and 110 sqm. As Christian Kerez (see more here) explains, the different sizes of the overlapping circular rooms create unpredictable changes in the direction of these openings. The latter seem to be randomly positioned and create a labyrinth-like movement. ‘It is a space that opens in on itself, generating an impression of expansion within actually limited boundaries, as intended by the rigorous geometrical arrangement. The layout of the circular rooms changes from one level to another,’ continues the Czechian architect. 

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
House Okamura in Prague 6

 

Meanwhile, the elevator, storage, and sanitary area are all tucked between the circular rooms of House Okamura. These intermediate spaces, which can be entirely closed off with doors, are minimal, fragmented, and convex, as opposed to the open, perfectly concave main zones. Concluding his thoughts, Christian Kerez highlights how the spatial concept of autonomous rooms aggregated to a sequence of spaces feels radical and new while the whole project resorts to traditional brick construction, which is easier to build on site than orthogonal spaces.

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
the project reveals a cluser of brick circles

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
the interiors host three apartments, with 39 rooms in total

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
circular living room with no dividing walls

christian kerez's house okamura unfolds as a cluster of circular brick volumes in czechia
the direction of openings constantly changes from room to room, and floor to floor

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A circular platform finds new lives for used equipment
CategoriesSustainable News

A circular platform finds new lives for used equipment

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In France, a recently enacted law prohibits companies from destroying their unsold non-food goods without first trying to resell, donate, or recycle them. To promote the circular economy and help companies meet this requirement, startup CircularPlace has created a platform that optimises the collection and management of unsold goods, second-hand equipment, and returns. The digital marketplace matches businesses and charities with available products that are either unsold inventory, returns, or used, non-food items.

Items are first offered for sale, then for donation. The marketplace is free to use, and CircularPlace takes a 10 per cent commission on every sale. Products listed for sale are auctioned, and after the seller confirms the condition of the items, the buyer receives a tax receipt and certificate of sale. Items available for donation go through a similar process.

After being listed for both sale and donation, CircularPlace provides owners of items unable to find a new home with a network of verified recyclers. And as a last resort if products are unable to be recycled, CircularPlace issues a certification that allows the owner to discard the products without falling foul of waste regulations.

For organisations large enough to utilise an internal marketplace, CircularPlace provides a white-label platform to rent, share, and exchange products. Gamification features help make it fun for employees to track team footprints, and for all users of the marketplace, CircularPlace provides reports on the volume of emissions prevented by every transaction.

Industries notorious for the volume of their waste are beginning to explore circularity, with innovations in Springwise’s library showcasing options for reusing electronics and deadstock material.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

A circular toy brand – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

A circular toy brand – Springwise

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: As most parents know all too well, a lot of money gets spent on toys that are played with for only a short time and then discarded or forgotten. Aside from being unnecessarily expensive, this is also environmentally unsustainable – especially as most toys are made from virgin plastics. However, at the same time, toys and play are essential to children’s development. To tackle these issues, Colombian startup Toynovo has created a circular model for toys.

Toynovo has developed a unique subscription service that allows parents and educational institutions to rent or buy ‘gently used’ toys through the platform for a monthly fee. Users can also exchange toys for new ones and sign up to receive a monthly bundle to exchange multiple toys on a regular basis.

In addition, Toynovo donates any toys that are no longer suitable for the subscription service to low-income families – extending their life further. Along with the toys, the company also provides educational materials for schools, community parks and play kits, and breastfeeding cabins for workplaces. The company has even developed its own line of (non-plastic) toys, called Joynovo.

Toynovo became a certified B Corp in 2022 and claims that it has eliminated more than 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide by extending the life of toys. The company is also expanding in other directions – exploring ways to reinforce toys so they last longer, repurposing toys made from wood into construction materials, and expanding the service to the US.

Toys are just the latest product to be offered on a subscription basis to widen access and save resources. We have also recently spotted affordable subscription models for kids’ bicycles and reusable nappies.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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Helping companies and individuals access a circular economy for electronics
CategoriesSustainable News

Helping companies and individuals access a circular economy for electronics

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Researchers predict that the refurbished electronics market will reach more than $94 billion (around €88 billion) by 2030. Such growth suggests an increase in the accessibility of devices based on cost as well as more robust reuse and recycling systems.

Contributing to the big strides being taken in keeping used electronic devices out of landfill is technology recycling company GreenDice. The Estonian company partners with a range of businesses to place their used equipment with members of communities in need of connectivity.  

With a starting monthly fee of €5.9 per month, individuals can choose a refurbished laptop, desktop, or both. Every plan comes with GreenDice’s guaranteed IT support and full transparency on how old the device is and who owned it. Borrowers can feel confident that they are getting quality devices as all equipment comes from globally known manufacturers and businesses upgrading their tech. 

If a device is no longer needed, borrowers can return it at any time, with no costs involved in cancelling. And when a computer reaches the end of its usable life, GreenDice takes it back and oversees the responsible, sustainable recycling of its parts.  

For businesses, GreenDice offers a way to reduce environmental impact without having to resort to offsetting emissions. The company’s programme also makes it possible for organisations to complete reliable full life cycle assessments of their device inventory.

Affordability is a cornerstone of the company’s programme, and the team plans to decrease monthly fees in proportion to a growth in the number of commercial partners. 

A non-toxic, low-energy material recovery process, along with a used electronics marketplace are two other methods of increasing circularity that are highlighted by innovators in Springwise’s database.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

A circular economy marketplace for personal electronics
CategoriesSustainable News

A circular economy marketplace for personal electronics

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The global refurbished and used mobile phone market is expected to grow from more than $50 billion (around €47 billion) in 2022 to around $172 billion (around €161 billion) by 2033. And advocates of electronics recycling see an encouraging uptick in consumer demand for refurbished devices.

As a means of making the most of all the valuable materials found in devices that range from smartwatches and tablets to video game consoles and audio products, digital resale platform Valyuu connects buyers and sellers with its reliable second-hand electronics marketplace. Valyuu provides buyers with a reliable evaluation of products that includes photos and access to full test reports.  

Sellers have multiple options on the platform. They can sell their device for an immediate payment through Fast Pay or wait a bit longer to receive a Best Value payment. Valyuu covers all shipping costs, and if a seller chooses to donate their device to the company, Valyuu donates the value of the sale to a social inclusion and education charity.   

With data sensitivity a major barrier to large scale electronics recycling, Valyuu provides sellers with detailed instructions on how to wipe clean their devices. And once the company receives an item, its team of IT experts re-wipes the product for further data protection.

If a device needs something fixed, the Valyuu team of refurbishers makes it usable again. And if a device is no longer usable, Valyuu’s team of recyclers takes it apart for sustainable reuse and recycling.  

The Netherlands-based company operates throughout the Benelux countries of The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and plans to continue expanding the availability of its services internationally. Having recently closed a round of seed funding that raised €2.4 million, the company plans to further expand the range of products available on its platform, further its research and development (R&D), and make its service available in more locations.  

As well as electronics, refurbishment is being used by a multitude of industries as a means of reducing waste while expanding the lifespan of goods. In Springwise’s library, innovations include a subscription service for office furniture and virtual trunk shows of used luxury items.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Sustainable circular packaging for deliveries
CategoriesSustainable News

Sustainable circular packaging for deliveries

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Germany created 225.8 kilogrammes of packaging waste per inhabitant in 2020 – the highest level of all countries examined in Europe, even though its recycling rate stands at almost 70 per cent. One of the biggest drivers of this issue is e-commerce waste, which boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and doesn’t look set to stop. 

To battle this scourge, Germany-based Rhinopaq has created a sustainable and reusable packaging system to replace existing single-use bags and boxes. 

The startup’s packaging consists of sturdy envelopes and boxes made from recycled polypropylene – reducing the need to produce more plastic in fossil-fuel-reliant processes or fell trees for more ‘sustainable’ paper alternatives. Notably, Rhinopaq emphasises that each of its boxes or packs tells a story, meaning that their customers can track carbon savings and the packaging’s previous usage. 

Rhinopaq is commercially available across Germany, offering its reusable boxes on a pay-per-use model as well as a plugin that allows its e-commerce clients to easily provide reusable and disposable packing to their customers on their own websites.  

Customers simply put the packaging back in a postbox when they are done – with no stamp required.

In the archive, Springwise has spotted other innovations working to lessen the climate footprint of e-commerce, including nano-fulfilment centres and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to minimise clothing returns.

Written By: Amanda Simms

Reference

A new approach to circular packaging
CategoriesSustainable News

A new approach to circular packaging

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In the UK, slightly more than 80 per cent of consumers say they prefer eco-friendly packaging, and this growing trend of favouring sustainably packed items can be seen across the globe. Using recyclable materials is one way brands are becoming more sustainable, but often this isn’t enough. For example, a lot of recyclable materials aren’t disposed of correctly, so cannot be recycled properly. 

Reusable packaging is an alternative solution that is gaining momentum. But the technology needed to sort and clean packaging for future reuse is not yet firmly established. Seeing a gap in the market, London-based startup Again has created an automated cleaning service that makes it possible for brands to reuse their packaging materials.  

Called CleanCells, the micro-factories use robotics to bring reuse technology to businesses. The facilities service multiple organisations in each location, helping to keep costs low enough for small and medium enterprises to afford the service. And Again purposefully matches the price of its services to that of single-use plastics and other packaging in order to encourage the take-up of its circular system.   

The CleanCells are situated near or within logistics hubs to reduce transport costs and each can clean up to 500,000 units of packaging per month. From visual inspection to in-line microbiological and allergenic monitoring, the company’s quality assurance ensures that food-grade packaging remains safe to use. Meanwhile, an accompanying software platform allows companies to manage and monitor their packaging supply chain.

Springwise has spotted other innovators in the archive working to turn single-use packaging into a circular model, including one for takeaway lunches and another cutting single-use food waste across US universities.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Creating a circular economy for anaesthetic gases
CategoriesSustainable News

Creating a circular economy for anaesthetic gases

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: We don’t often think of anaesthetic gases as contributing to global warming, but 2 per cent of the UK NHS’s greenhouse gas emissions come from anaesthetic and analgesic practices. During an operation, only a tiny percentage of anaesthetic agents are absorbed and metabolised by the patient’s body, meaning that the vast majority of this volatile anaesthetic is expelled as waste. 

To address this, SageTech Medical has developed a flexible, modular system that allows hospitals to capture exhaled waste anaesthetic gas in reusable canisters in the operating theatre. The canisters are then emptied into bulk storage tanks and collected.

Captured gases are recovered and recycled to yield active pharmaceutical ingredients, which are then bottled for reuse. This process reduces the energy and carbon needed to manufacture the virgin gases, as well as the environmental impact of their release, creating a circular system.

Recent orders made by NHS trusts, including in Manchester and Hull, mean that SageTech’s circular technology will soon be in use in certain NHS hospitals. The next key milestones for the company include achieving significant UK sales and gaining the CE Mark for its SID-Dock capture machine, so that SageTech can then distribute across Europe too.

Waste anaesthetic gases are a substantial and broadly unaddressed cause of air pollution. Other recent innovations spotted by Springwise in the archive that aim to tackle causes of air pollution include concrete that cleans the air in road tunnels and DIY air filters.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Creating circular raw materials by upcycling tires
CategoriesSustainable News

Creating circular raw materials by upcycling tires

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to a 2021 study, about 1.5 billion tyres end up as waste every year. But Polish company Contec has a better idea than letting tyres go to landfill, however, and is treating used tyres as a source of valuable raw materials.

Contec uses pyrolysis to break down the vulcanised rubber in the tyres. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process in which the shredded tyres are heated to temperatures between 400-700 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free atmosphere. This breaks down large, vulcanised rubber molecules into smaller compounds to produce soot, gas, oil, and other chemicals.

By adapting this process, Contec is able to recover rubber and steel for reuse in new tyres, oil for use in the chemical and refining industry, and carbon black, which is used as a pigment and a filler to the mechanical strength of rubber compounds used in tyre manufacture.

Although still in the early stages, Contec has developed its process to a commercial capacity. The company recently secured zł 70 million (around €15.6 million) in funding from investors HiTech ASI, Pruszyński Sp. z o.o. and Mariusz Machciński. The funding will be used to the processing capacity of their plant from 10,000 to 33,000 tonnes of used tyres a year.

Contec is not alone in the search for a more sustainable way to manufacture and recycle tyres. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted innovations such as a bio-based carbon black and tyres made from recycled plastic.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

A circular subscription service for office furniture
CategoriesSustainable News

A circular subscription service for office furniture

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of hybrid work models, companies need more flexibility than ever to scale their physical presence up or down as circumstances change. But as companies optimise their offices to fit changing working practices, there is a nagging problem: furniture.  

Danish startup Nornorm has developed a new model for circular office furniture – one that is based on subscription rather than ownership. Under the startup’s system, companies pay a monthly fee that starts at €3 per square metre (with a startup fee of €12 per square metre). 

At the start of the process, the company provides a floor plan and information on functional needs and personal style, and with this input, Nornorm creates a bespoke furniture solution. Before final sign-off, the company is provided with a 3D model of the re-configured workspace so they can add or remove elements as needed. 

Once the design phase is over, Nornorm installs the furniture at the company’s office – but this is not the end of the collaboration. Companies are free to alter their design at any time, scaling up or down as circumstances require. If a change is requested, Nornorm will deliver any additional furniture required and disassemble any items that are no longer needed. Companies are also free to cancel their subscription at any time, in which case all their furniture will be collected and re-used with another business. To minimise waste and extent the lifespan of each item, any retired furniture is repaired and refurbished for use elsewhere.

Throwaway culture is leading to increased waste, and that includes our furniture. Springwise has spotted many innovations tackling this issue in the archive, including customisable and dynamic cork-based furnishings and a marketplace for second-hand furniture.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

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