South Holland leaders sign manifesto for new standard for circular building Accelerating the circular construction economy together in the province of South Holland
March 18, 2024
South Holland is celebrating a milestone for the circular construction economy. Innovative frontrunners from the province gathered at NICE Developers in Rotterdam to sign the manifesto Het Nieuwe Normaal.
The New Normal, previously launched nationwide on December 7, 2023, provides a unified language with achievable and ambitious circular performance for the construction industry. The New Normal was initiated from the demand of 6 major clients and 6 major contractors to create one language for circular construction. It was drawn up in collaboration with Cirkelstad, Alba Concepts, Copper8, Metabolic, Witteveen+Bos and TU Delft. More than 100 clients and contractors from the construction industry - spread across the country - have already backed this initiative and signed the manifesto. Today was the moment for South Holland organizations to sign the manifesto.
Why a new normal?
To balance the building task and the climate issue, building and renovation will have to be done differently. The New Normal provides tools to do this, as a framework for building, area and infrastructure. It makes circular construction clear and concrete.
"We need to accelerate the transition to a circular society as soon as possible to achieve our climate ambitions for 2030 and 2050. We are working hard to achieve this together with innovative companies, knowledge institutions and innovator networks. An initiative like The New Normal provides construction companies with the guidance needed to achieve our common goals."
Meindert Stolk, Gedeputeerde Economie en Innovatie
The meeting in Rotterdam took place during the Week of the Circular Economy and was organized by Cirkelstad Zuid-Holland. Attendees first discussed circular building and the implementation of The New Normal. It emerged that several projects prove that circular building is possible. And it was stated that this should be the only way to build. After all, who wouldn't want to live in a building with healthy, adaptable and high-quality materials in a pleasant living environment? Building according to the building code is outdated according to some attendees. Time for a new normal!
The signing of the manifesto was followed by a tour of the construction site of the impressive project SAWA, the first fully circular residential building made of wood in Rotterdam. By building in wood, SAWA is contributing to CO2-reduction. Moreover, because dry ballast is used on the floors instead of concrete, all building components are demountable and materials are reusable. In addition to the innovative construction method, SAWA stands out for its nature-inclusive design and inclusive residential program with affordable and healthy housing. With all these aspects, SAWA is at the forefront of sustainable and circular construction.
Get involved too!
Does your organization want to accelerate toward a circular future? Then sign The New Normal. By endorsing the manifesto, you are demonstrating your commitment to an unambiguous language for circular construction. In this way we can make Het Nieuwe Normaal truly the new normal. The manifesto is available at www.hetnieuwenormaal.nl. Enthusiastic? Please contact Thirza Monster at thirza.monster@cirkelstad.nl.
