Circular Twin

Collaborating across the industry to pioneer new low-carbon approaches to building design and delivery
2021
Circular Twin visual

SCAPE collaborated with Morgan Sindall Construction, HLM Architects, Lungfish Architects, and Cundall on Circular Twin, an industry-first, digital twinning project exploring new ways to deliver lower-carbon buildings.

The study digitally recreated a completed school and redesigned it to prioritise lower carbon at every stage. By forming an early alliance of client, designers, contractor, and supply chain, the project challenged traditional design and procurement practices. It demonstrated how earlier collaboration and digital modelling can significantly reduce Whole Life Carbon while supporting progress toward a net zero built environment.

The research won the AJ100 Sustainability Initiative of the Year 2022, and the Sustainability Award at the Institution of Structural Engineers Midland Counties Awards.

“SCAPE advocates that construction clients adopt the environmental standards which have been identified to respond to the climate emergency, which mirror those applied in the Circular Twin project. Any part of a project team basing decisions on cost alone is inhibiting low carbon construction. We need to find a better way forward, and ensure carbon is considered an integral part of our decision making hierarchy."

Chris Clarke, Strategy and Service Improvement Director, Arc Partnership