Impact Stories on Circular Construction: Lessons from the CirCoFin General Assembly in Glasgow
In October, Zero Waste Scotland hosted the CirCoFin General Assembly in Glasgow. Almost one year after the start of the project, partners had the opportunity to bring into the spotlight their latest efforts in circular construction and the implementation of Circular Construction Hubs in their regions, showing how collaboration across cities, regions and innovation partners can help make the reuse of building materials truly viable and scalable. The meeting also offered partners the chance to see circular construction in action through a dedicated site visit to the BE-ST Innovation Lab, where hands-on demonstrations of material reuse and circular design provided concrete inspiration for the next phases of CCH development.
Beyond the technical dimension, the General Assembly reaffirmed the strategic role of CCHs as catalysts for systemic change. These hubs are emerging as real meeting points between public authorities, businesses, research centres and local communities, enabling experimentation, knowledge exchange and the scaling up of circular solutions in the construction sector. Discussions in Glasgow assessed the readiness of the four CirCoFin showcase hubs, and highlighted the shared challenges and promising practices emerging across regions. Partners also underscored the importance of peer exchange, ethics considerations and standardisation in ensuring that Circular Construction Hubs become viable, trusted and impactful components of the circular built environment.
The Scottish context offered an illustrative backdrop for these discussions, showing how policy frameworks, innovation networks and local leadership can come together to support circular construction in practice. Exchanges during the Assembly highlighted the importance of aligning local regulations with circular objectives, building market confidence in reused and bio-based materials. These reflections reinforced how CirCoFin is helping bridge the gap between local pilot actions and the wider financial, technical and policy frameworks needed to scale Circular Construction Hubs across European regions.
To enrich the discussions with tangible action on the ground, CirCoFin partners also took part in site visits to the BE-ST (Built Environment – Smarter Transformation) Innovation Lab facilities, including the Mass Timber Centre of Excellence and Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre. The work of these Labs is specifically focused on building and material longevity, a key element for achieving circular construction goals. The side visits were also an opportunity to learn more about other circular construction initiatives in Scotland, such as K-Briq, a high-pressure brick manufacturing process using reused materials, and the Timber House, a modular house built in the centre connected to social rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. The Retrofit Centre is also used for education and awareness-raising on the great potential of material reuse. These examples show that the transition to circular construction involves multiple stakeholders within local and regional communities, including municipalities and designers, but also younger citizens, through early education on circularity.
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