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’ of information are also captured across the entire lifecycle.

CLIMATE IMPACT

Arcology System offers a data-driven and intelligent interior fit-out solution that can significantly reduce carbon emissions and enable adaptive reuse of potentially stranded assets. The system enables a circular economy value chain, from financing and design to procurement, construction, and management. The system’s design-for-disassembly approach can constantly reconfigure internal space for multiple use cases by reusing materials, rather than recycling or disposing of them, reducing the need for virgin resources and waste. 80% of buildings to meet Net-zero 2050 targets already exist, Arcology enables the adaptive reuse of these assets enabling them to become ‘smart’, and function as ‘material banks.’

The proprietary integrated IoT- environmental and asset tracking sensors within the hardware system efficiently track materials, reducing waste and carbon emissions from sourcing to use, and enabling a circular supply chain that integrates certified products.

The company’s post-consumer aluminium “Meccano™-like” connection hardware ensures that integrated and approved locally sourced materials stay in use at their highest value. They can be moved from building to building, and traded afterward, resulting in lower embodied carbon.

REPLICABILITY

The construction industry is one of the largest in the world economy, with approximately USD $10 trillion spent each year on construction-related goods and services (Barbosa et al., 2017). As one of the most waste-producing sectors, a new approach to materials is required. In Ireland, implementation of digital product passportsrequiring a collection of digital data associated with a certain product is scheduled for 2026 or 2027. Arcology System provides the first step from a linear to a circular construction industry and is positioning itself as an industry leader in the circular construction sector.

As sustainability becomes more important in the construction sector, circular economy practices are becoming more prevalent. Other notable businesses are:

Dirtt manufactures a component-led, modular, interior construction system that is shipped from their facilities in Canada.

Holcim decarbonises buildings for a net-zero future by providing low-carbon products and solutions that allow the construction industry to build better with less.