As I approach Superuse Studio's address, I'm happy to find a doorbell labeled with their name on it. The kind voice on the intercom explains I should walk back to where I just came from: "From the Maasboulevard, turn left to take the stairs down towards the quayside, there you will find two large doors." This entrance confusion is due to the nature of the building. It's probably one of the most unusual spaces to have an office in: the former Tropicana tropical swimming resort in the center of Rotterdam. The studio is in the western basements of the complex and used to house the machine room for the wave pool and air treatment facilities. In its current state the swimming pool - built in 1988, defunct since 2010 - gives mixed messages on what it once was and its current use. A green curling fiberglass water slide cuts through the facade of the building. Old posters on the walls still ofer a sauna deal. Next to it another window shows the logo of the current occupant BlueCity in modest white letters. In their own words: "BlueCity is an incubator for innovative companies looking to exchange their residual materials." BlueCity is a hub for those keeping to the principles of the Blue Economy: work with what is locally available, based on collaboration instead of competition, and generate a variety of income flows, by deploying output from one process as input for another process for example - exactly as nature does.
In recent years my unease about the detrimental sides of interior design--the waste, intrinsic consumerism rational, and its addiction to trends--forced me to rethink my own career as a designer and inspired me to explore and embrace a circular design approach. This is easier said than done and after repeatedly running into obstacles, I decided to start interviewing different parties in the building chain to learn from the practice of others. More fundamental systems insights, but also simple tips and tricks, will lead to a circular interior design manual in 2023 to help the many others like me who want to design differently. I reached out to Superuse Studios as they are by now one of the most seasoned designers in the circular design trade in the Netherlands.
In 2015 BlueCity acquired the swimming resort with the help of an investor and ever since Superuse Studios Rotterdam isn't only based at the hub, but also the architect responsible for its circular renovation.
The pool now houses newly finished studios and maker labs. A new food and beverage area will be opening near the building's iconic glass dome. The space underneath the dome - once home to the large wave pool and surrounded with plastic palm trees - will become a contemporary agora where inspiration for the blue and circular economy will be exchanged.
The pool now houses newly finished studios and maker labs. A new food and beverage area will be opening near the building's iconic glass dome. The space underneath the dome - once home to the large wave pool and surrounded with plastic palm trees - will become a contemporary agora where inspiration for the blue and circular economy will be exchanged.
Superuse Studio was founded in 1997 in Rotterdam by architects Jan Jongert and Césare Peeren and has more than 25 years of experience in using recycled building materials and residual waste. They previously
operated under the name 2012 Architects. 2012 functioned as a double deadline: the building they were operating from would be demolished in that year, and the founders hoped that their 'Superuse' method of recycling building waste and residual materials and turning them into other equally or more valuable products or processes, would have become more mainstream by then. As the year 2012 passed the linear economy
was still going ahead full steam and the team - joined in 2003 by Jeroen Bergsma, decided to name the practice after their methodology. Through the years they have worked on their own spatial projects like Villa Welpeloo (2009, built with a load bearing structure made of steel girders, formerly used in the local textile industry), Wikado playground (2012, made of dismissed windmill's blades), and more recently the KEVN pavilion (2020, a complete demountable maker's house, café, and restaurant), but are increasingly involved in projects of others which use a circular building process.
operated under the name 2012 Architects. 2012 functioned as a double deadline: the building they were operating from would be demolished in that year, and the founders hoped that their 'Superuse' method of recycling building waste and residual materials and turning them into other equally or more valuable products or processes, would have become more mainstream by then. As the year 2012 passed the linear economy
was still going ahead full steam and the team - joined in 2003 by Jeroen Bergsma, decided to name the practice after their methodology. Through the years they have worked on their own spatial projects like Villa Welpeloo (2009, built with a load bearing structure made of steel girders, formerly used in the local textile industry), Wikado playground (2012, made of dismissed windmill's blades), and more recently the KEVN pavilion (2020, a complete demountable maker's house, café, and restaurant), but are increasingly involved in projects of others which use a circular building process.
Very slowly, but due to COVID 19, supply chain complications, and the Ukraine war slightly faster, the world seems to be moving in the direction that circular strategies are becoming increasingly acceptable
in mainstream building projects. Whether fueled by idealism in combating the climate crisis, or a lack of available resources, makes less of a difference to Floris Schiferli, partner at Superuse Studios since 2013. He fully enjoys his work and is pleased that their built up experience and decades of crafting on their philosophy can support much needed change. Superuse Studio's core principles have remained stable over time: reusing existing materials, ideally found near the project site, the upgrading of waste streams, leading to less waste, which leads to less newly extracted resources. It doesn't mean they never use new materials, they will if its
answers a specific challenge, but they do start every project with harvesting used materials and investigating whether objects in their current form could be used. Practicing this way of designing is tough and clashes
between old and new systems are frequent, presenting new dilemmas on a daily basis.
in mainstream building projects. Whether fueled by idealism in combating the climate crisis, or a lack of available resources, makes less of a difference to Floris Schiferli, partner at Superuse Studios since 2013. He fully enjoys his work and is pleased that their built up experience and decades of crafting on their philosophy can support much needed change. Superuse Studio's core principles have remained stable over time: reusing existing materials, ideally found near the project site, the upgrading of waste streams, leading to less waste, which leads to less newly extracted resources. It doesn't mean they never use new materials, they will if its
answers a specific challenge, but they do start every project with harvesting used materials and investigating whether objects in their current form could be used. Practicing this way of designing is tough and clashes
between old and new systems are frequent, presenting new dilemmas on a daily basis.
Schiferli shares some of the issues they face in the Rotterdam swimming pool's transformation process. The first big hurdle was getting the transformation permits as Rotterdam's Welstand (aesthetics committee for buildings in the Netherlands) sent the transformation proposals back to the city council, as they weren't used to design processes in which the final design wouldn't be fully known prior to construction start.
(This depended on available reusable materials on supply at that moment of construction, more about that later.) Subsequently, we learned that the building had absorbed as much as 5 million liters of water in its time as a swimming pool. Apparently, swimming pools aren't supposed to be watertight. Removal of the water made the building realign itself again and proved a true test for the stability of the building's structure.
To create daylight access inside of the basements new holes had to be cut in the concrete floor. The cut concrete pieces were reused in other parts of the building which proved a logistical and structural puzzle: "In doing circular design you simply find out that a lot of systems don't function with used materials. Legal codes don't fit, there are no places where you can just go and buy the reused materials. Therefore, we developed different tools and products over time to enable the mainstream building world to build and develop circularly," says Schiferli. An example of this is oogstkaart.nl, a digital marketplace for used building materials which was acquired by urban mining company New Horizon in 2020. Other examples include the foundation of the Circular Design Collective and the recent publication of a circular construction roadmap ofering a concise set of steps of pragmatic strategies that make a design circular, which was the reason we requested this conversation.
(This depended on available reusable materials on supply at that moment of construction, more about that later.) Subsequently, we learned that the building had absorbed as much as 5 million liters of water in its time as a swimming pool. Apparently, swimming pools aren't supposed to be watertight. Removal of the water made the building realign itself again and proved a true test for the stability of the building's structure.
To create daylight access inside of the basements new holes had to be cut in the concrete floor. The cut concrete pieces were reused in other parts of the building which proved a logistical and structural puzzle: "In doing circular design you simply find out that a lot of systems don't function with used materials. Legal codes don't fit, there are no places where you can just go and buy the reused materials. Therefore, we developed different tools and products over time to enable the mainstream building world to build and develop circularly," says Schiferli. An example of this is oogstkaart.nl, a digital marketplace for used building materials which was acquired by urban mining company New Horizon in 2020. Other examples include the foundation of the Circular Design Collective and the recent publication of a circular construction roadmap ofering a concise set of steps of pragmatic strategies that make a design circular, which was the reason we requested this conversation.
Marieke van den Heuvel: What was the idea behind sharing the circular construction roadmap?
Floris Schiferli: We want to make beautiful projects, while showing that processes can be organized differently. The impact we have is relatively small, as this type of design remains a niche, at least for now. More recently we are asked to consult on circular building processes and advise other architects on circularity within their project. There we occasionally hit a crossroads of esthetics, concepts and materials, and things can get a bit weird. For us it's natural to have materials in the lead, without losing sight of the program. If you don't, you will run into difficulties further down the road. This is not that evident to most other designers.
Floris Schiferli: We want to make beautiful projects, while showing that processes can be organized differently. The impact we have is relatively small, as this type of design remains a niche, at least for now. More recently we are asked to consult on circular building processes and advise other architects on circularity within their project. There we occasionally hit a crossroads of esthetics, concepts and materials, and things can get a bit weird. For us it's natural to have materials in the lead, without losing sight of the program. If you don't, you will run into difficulties further down the road. This is not that evident to most other designers.
The Superuse Steps describes a circular road map based on seven strategies, the first being harvesting materials. This is followed by different reuse and material strategies and permits and guarantees. Is the sequence important?
FS: Actually, there are different roadmaps. It really depends on the type of project: whether its new built, retrofit, and different financing models. In a conventional construction project financing is to a high degree defining the design process. A pretty much final plan, or definite design, has to be developed in order to get a building permit. Getting the building permit releases the construction funding and activates the selection of the contractor. The contractor starts invoicing straight away, for building preparation and getting additional permits, to get moving as quickly as possible. Crucially however, if you want to work with used materials, you also have to seriously consider this from the start of the process, which often falls short because of the rush. To address this, we developed a dynamic definite design (DDD), in which you place several retainers for materials, which can be adapted during the final development of the project. In a normal definite design, the design's materiality is fully defined and detailed. When you work with harvested and reused materials, it's very difficult to predict exactly what materials you are going to find. Persistently adapting to found materials means persistent updating of the design as well, which is cumbersome and time consuming. In the dynamic definite design we define the desired qualities of the space, rather than give full specs. It could say for example that a floor could be made in polished concrete, granite, or a different type of natural stone in a soft tone. Gray black perhaps with a hint of green. This is how we describe the material with some precision, while keeping it open for a range of alternatives. Having experience in harvesting is important for predicting what will be possible to find and what not. The same holds for detailing. The dynamic DD can define that the choice for a wooden or plastic window frame is secondary within the overall appearance of the façade. As an example: a facade with shutters, could make the role of window frames less important. This way you can still maintain a strong concept, but it makes you more flexible in working with what is there.
FS: Actually, there are different roadmaps. It really depends on the type of project: whether its new built, retrofit, and different financing models. In a conventional construction project financing is to a high degree defining the design process. A pretty much final plan, or definite design, has to be developed in order to get a building permit. Getting the building permit releases the construction funding and activates the selection of the contractor. The contractor starts invoicing straight away, for building preparation and getting additional permits, to get moving as quickly as possible. Crucially however, if you want to work with used materials, you also have to seriously consider this from the start of the process, which often falls short because of the rush. To address this, we developed a dynamic definite design (DDD), in which you place several retainers for materials, which can be adapted during the final development of the project. In a normal definite design, the design's materiality is fully defined and detailed. When you work with harvested and reused materials, it's very difficult to predict exactly what materials you are going to find. Persistently adapting to found materials means persistent updating of the design as well, which is cumbersome and time consuming. In the dynamic definite design we define the desired qualities of the space, rather than give full specs. It could say for example that a floor could be made in polished concrete, granite, or a different type of natural stone in a soft tone. Gray black perhaps with a hint of green. This is how we describe the material with some precision, while keeping it open for a range of alternatives. Having experience in harvesting is important for predicting what will be possible to find and what not. The same holds for detailing. The dynamic DD can define that the choice for a wooden or plastic window frame is secondary within the overall appearance of the façade. As an example: a facade with shutters, could make the role of window frames less important. This way you can still maintain a strong concept, but it makes you more flexible in working with what is there.
Is the first step designing or harvesting?
FS: We always start with metabolism-based analyses in which we map out typical material streams in the area. This can be light and brief, or very extensive, but it's crucial to know the context in which you are building. Which materials and waste streams are available? Are there existing cycles or ecosystems we can use, or should we start our own? We obviously look at water management and energy, but also, when relevant, the potential of the people in the area. What type of skills are on offer in the immediate environment and how could we make use of that? We have a holistic way of working where we look at fourteen different flows.
FS: We always start with metabolism-based analyses in which we map out typical material streams in the area. This can be light and brief, or very extensive, but it's crucial to know the context in which you are building. Which materials and waste streams are available? Are there existing cycles or ecosystems we can use, or should we start our own? We obviously look at water management and energy, but also, when relevant, the potential of the people in the area. What type of skills are on offer in the immediate environment and how could we make use of that? We have a holistic way of working where we look at fourteen different flows.
There are other architects applying a holistic perspective on design, what makes this circular?
FS: We are not alone in this, but it is important as you can't design circular without being conscious of all these flows.
FS: We are not alone in this, but it is important as you can't design circular without being conscious of all these flows.
The roadmap deals with the most relevant principles of circular construction, but its actual application within a conventional design process is difficult. What advice do you offer to other architects?
FS: Learning to build in a circular way is a gradual process, and on the road more and more specific design steps are adapted. The way of designing in part remains the same: an analysis of the program and the surroundings, from which you develop first a concept design giving the rough contours of the project. What makes it different is that you bring in materials from the start. You are working from a definitive design-reality while you are still developing the concept design. This blurs the traditional phasing of design. The other difference is in financing and guarantees. Circular design principles are often shredded due to a failure to find the right funding for the project. This is often the result of a conflict in contracting between client and contractor related to guarantees and certainties, which are difficult to answer if you are stuck in the old system. A client normally demands solid guarantees, and the contractors, who don't know what materials they will find during the construction process, don't want to take the associated risks.
FS: Learning to build in a circular way is a gradual process, and on the road more and more specific design steps are adapted. The way of designing in part remains the same: an analysis of the program and the surroundings, from which you develop first a concept design giving the rough contours of the project. What makes it different is that you bring in materials from the start. You are working from a definitive design-reality while you are still developing the concept design. This blurs the traditional phasing of design. The other difference is in financing and guarantees. Circular design principles are often shredded due to a failure to find the right funding for the project. This is often the result of a conflict in contracting between client and contractor related to guarantees and certainties, which are difficult to answer if you are stuck in the old system. A client normally demands solid guarantees, and the contractors, who don't know what materials they will find during the construction process, don't want to take the associated risks.
Is circularity the driving principle for sustainability or are other principles above circularity to direct impact?
FS: We notice that when circularity is approached from the perspective of an engineer it often results in designs with the highest sustainability ratings -- but that fail to connect with people. So, circularity should not loose on the power of seduction, which is very important in our projects, and we remain, first and foremost, designers. We look for a result that is circular, and inspires and connects with specific opportunities. This is why we like working with artists, as they have stories to tell.
FS: We notice that when circularity is approached from the perspective of an engineer it often results in designs with the highest sustainability ratings -- but that fail to connect with people. So, circularity should not loose on the power of seduction, which is very important in our projects, and we remain, first and foremost, designers. We look for a result that is circular, and inspires and connects with specific opportunities. This is why we like working with artists, as they have stories to tell.
This means circularity is more of a means rather than a goal?
FS: It can be a goal, but only if it's fully embraced and used. I don't really care whether it's a goal or a means but creating cycles out of the streams around us is the heart of what we do. By introducing regeneration, we create richness and layering in the sites and buildings we design.
FS: It can be a goal, but only if it's fully embraced and used. I don't really care whether it's a goal or a means but creating cycles out of the streams around us is the heart of what we do. By introducing regeneration, we create richness and layering in the sites and buildings we design.
Is it important that impact is assessed?
FS: For sure. It's the combination between design research, where we intuitively try out different things, and then calculate its footprint. We used to make these calculations ourselves, but we are increasingly working with engineering firms to do this for us. It also sparks discourse as the approach to impact assessment by some theorists is formulated in a very narrow and puritanical way. In practice you need to get your hands dirty, create experiments, and also fail. If you don't, circularity will remain virtual.
FS: For sure. It's the combination between design research, where we intuitively try out different things, and then calculate its footprint. We used to make these calculations ourselves, but we are increasingly working with engineering firms to do this for us. It also sparks discourse as the approach to impact assessment by some theorists is formulated in a very narrow and puritanical way. In practice you need to get your hands dirty, create experiments, and also fail. If you don't, circularity will remain virtual.
In postwar architecture Ernst Neuferts 'Architect's Data' became an extremely important source for architects on dimensions, norms and planning. Neufert fully demands the standardization of buildings, whereas in a circular project you want to keep a degree of flexibility specifically towards the end. This flexibility asks a lot from all stakeholders. Would it be possible to make a similar Neufert guide for circular building, or is it more a mindset combined with a lot of on the ground experience?
FS: Neufert sets dimensions, but also dictates specific rules. There are also certain rules within circular buildings, but they end up being formulas, which are systemic. They form an intricate web of interdependence whereas if you change one parameter, the entire system changes. So dictating rules isn't the answer, but rather setting up the formula or strategy and how this gets executed.
Also, a project that is built using circular strategies isn't necessarily circular when completed. It's only the beginning as the end-of-life moment and the building's output will need to be organized over time too. This includes repairs and maintenance, how things are replaced when they fail, etc. In short making the system operational in the long run. That makes it quite complicated.
FS: Neufert sets dimensions, but also dictates specific rules. There are also certain rules within circular buildings, but they end up being formulas, which are systemic. They form an intricate web of interdependence whereas if you change one parameter, the entire system changes. So dictating rules isn't the answer, but rather setting up the formula or strategy and how this gets executed.
Also, a project that is built using circular strategies isn't necessarily circular when completed. It's only the beginning as the end-of-life moment and the building's output will need to be organized over time too. This includes repairs and maintenance, how things are replaced when they fail, etc. In short making the system operational in the long run. That makes it quite complicated.
You mention the strategic step of ensuring a demountable construction, which is obviously very important for future usefulness of materials, but then stop the roadmap at completion. Why is that?
FS: The influence of an architect has its limits. De continuation of a project is depending on the user and the surroundings. We want to work from a complete system but the complexity and level of aggregation required, is for clients who are mostly just looking for architecture just too much. This is why we aim in the roadmap to explain the circular system and what comes next.
FS: The influence of an architect has its limits. De continuation of a project is depending on the user and the surroundings. We want to work from a complete system but the complexity and level of aggregation required, is for clients who are mostly just looking for architecture just too much. This is why we aim in the roadmap to explain the circular system and what comes next.
What do you think of the material passport for buildings to simplify the process of harvesting?
FS: I am a big supporter of documenting used materials, ways of mounting and construction, performance, etc. Now everything has to be researched and calculated over and over again, and a lot of knowledge gets lost. This is why I would opt for making this as a condition to every BIM model that is filed for building permits.
FS: I am a big supporter of documenting used materials, ways of mounting and construction, performance, etc. Now everything has to be researched and calculated over and over again, and a lot of knowledge gets lost. This is why I would opt for making this as a condition to every BIM model that is filed for building permits.
Why did you leave it out of your roadmap? Do you make them for your own projects?
FS: We start out with making an inventory of materials, and at the end establish an emissions calculation. Both have a lot of information. What we add to that is depending on the assignment, as making the material passports is additional work. The upside of BIM is that every aspect of the building gets exactly specified. It's just that the software is less easy to use in transformation projects. We mostly don't use it because everything has to be measured again, including the digitalization of all the used elements.
FS: We start out with making an inventory of materials, and at the end establish an emissions calculation. Both have a lot of information. What we add to that is depending on the assignment, as making the material passports is additional work. The upside of BIM is that every aspect of the building gets exactly specified. It's just that the software is less easy to use in transformation projects. We mostly don't use it because everything has to be measured again, including the digitalization of all the used elements.
It would be amazing though if we could make an inventory of all the materials of buildings in the Netherlands, so we know what our stock is. When an area, i.e. an abandoned industrial area, becomes derelict, you could use this inventory to define its value. Increased scarcity of materials and rising costs will make it more interesting to get an economic estimation of the materials in existing buildings.
Is the fact that we are facing disrupted supply chains have a positive effect on re-use?
FS: It shows that a different way of working and adding more flexibility is fully possible. By setting different standards it is easier to accept different outcomes. Conventional building has been functioning relatively unchanged for quite some time, making it very predictable and safe. Contractual agreements can be precisely executed, validated, and inserted into a model. But this standardization also undermines the creative spirit and energy people have in researching and making things.
FS: It shows that a different way of working and adding more flexibility is fully possible. By setting different standards it is easier to accept different outcomes. Conventional building has been functioning relatively unchanged for quite some time, making it very predictable and safe. Contractual agreements can be precisely executed, validated, and inserted into a model. But this standardization also undermines the creative spirit and energy people have in researching and making things.
Is letting go of or defining the end result differently an important strategy?
FS: There are obviously moments where what something looks like is very important. If you want to use a wall as a background for shooting a movie and the makers need to key it, it simply has to be blue or green, and not pink with polka dots. There are certain necessities, but most things aren't. It's important to make clear what needs to be robust and what can be adapted. Can you as an architect live with the fact that a window frame looks different than planned? How important is that?
FS: There are obviously moments where what something looks like is very important. If you want to use a wall as a background for shooting a movie and the makers need to key it, it simply has to be blue or green, and not pink with polka dots. There are certain necessities, but most things aren't. It's important to make clear what needs to be robust and what can be adapted. Can you as an architect live with the fact that a window frame looks different than planned? How important is that?
There are aesthetical considerations which could be handled with more flexibility. There are official building codes we all need to follow, and there are also softer forms of coding like BREEAM, or in the case of interior spaces WELL, which largely deals with (workspace) comfort. How do they affect circular building?
FS: Our projects all conform to building safety codes of course. In corporate projects we can reach WELL standards, but this means certain materials cannot be applied.
Circular buildings obviously consider fire safety, refrain from using potentially toxic resources, etc., very strictly. But when you look at acoustics for example things become more gray. I fully understand that an organization wants a quiet working environment and sets a demand for a 45DB low-noise environment. It gets more complicated when you weigh the footprint and energy that is needed for a sound absorbing wall to achieve that, against the added comfort it brings. To give an extreme example: the biodiversity in West Papua New Guinea is suffering due to the extraction of aluminum. Is a demand for comfort important if it indirectly leads to the threat of diminished biodiversity? Just an extreme example of showing how everything you do has an impact. When harvested materials can't meet the 45DB demand, the first step is to look whether a different material can be added to get closer to the goal. This changes the appearance of the space. Is that acceptable? You can debate aesthetics endlessly, but in the end it's the taste of an architect or the expectation client that is final.
The WELL standards are good when they answer to the people you are building for -- and consider the influence you have on people that are not directly involved in your design, i.e. in the larger supply chain. Which opens more subjects for conversation: for whom are you making specific demands, what for, and at which cost?
FS: Our projects all conform to building safety codes of course. In corporate projects we can reach WELL standards, but this means certain materials cannot be applied.
Circular buildings obviously consider fire safety, refrain from using potentially toxic resources, etc., very strictly. But when you look at acoustics for example things become more gray. I fully understand that an organization wants a quiet working environment and sets a demand for a 45DB low-noise environment. It gets more complicated when you weigh the footprint and energy that is needed for a sound absorbing wall to achieve that, against the added comfort it brings. To give an extreme example: the biodiversity in West Papua New Guinea is suffering due to the extraction of aluminum. Is a demand for comfort important if it indirectly leads to the threat of diminished biodiversity? Just an extreme example of showing how everything you do has an impact. When harvested materials can't meet the 45DB demand, the first step is to look whether a different material can be added to get closer to the goal. This changes the appearance of the space. Is that acceptable? You can debate aesthetics endlessly, but in the end it's the taste of an architect or the expectation client that is final.
The WELL standards are good when they answer to the people you are building for -- and consider the influence you have on people that are not directly involved in your design, i.e. in the larger supply chain. Which opens more subjects for conversation: for whom are you making specific demands, what for, and at which cost?
