BUILDINGS should be constructed as “material stores” and designed for re-assembly in the future, according to a leading Brighton architect.

Duncan Baker-Brown, the architect behind the University of Brighton’s Waste House – the first built with thrown away materials – is calling on the construction industry to open its eyes to the benefits and savings from adopting a circular economic approach.

Baker-Brown, senior lecturer in the University’s School of Architecture and Design, was writing in University Business.

He said: “By designing products and buildings so that in one way or another they are a material resource for the future, and not simply thrown away (there is no ‘away’), large corporations can increase their investment opportunities whilst reducing the need for the natural environment to provide millions of tonnes of new raw material every year.

“But there are barriers and challenges that need addressing before a fully-fledged circular economy can function properly.”