Rachel Loughrey is a University College Dublin architecture graduate and has tutored as part of the Building Change initiative in University of Limerick. She has combined her architecture background with a passion for climate activism to work on eco-conscious projects. She spoke to Building Change about her academic and professional journey, her current work, and the role Building Change plays in transforming the future of architectural practice to protect our planet.
- Tell us about your academic background in UCD and your experience of the Building Change project which is transforming the professional curricula?
I studied an undergraduate degree in Architecture, a master’s in Architecture and a Professional Diploma in Architecture at University College Dublin (UCD). I have been involved in the Building Change project as an architecture tutor at The University of Limerick (UL), guest lecturing and running workshops on topics such as the circular economy and the built environment in Technological University Dublin (TUD), UCD, and UL.
I have also been involved through Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN). We ran a reflective workshop for the tutors involved in Building Change which was very inspiring. Seeing the impact Building Change has had on the architecture schools involved is incredibly hopeful and, in my opinion, Building Change is needed to transform the future of the architecture industry into a sustainable model.
- How did you come to connect your academic studies with your commitment to climate action?
By studying architecture, I learned a vast amount about many interesting topics such as site planning, landscape design and the history of architecture. I could see how my interest in materiality and environmental design were core values through my studio design projects. During my undergraduate degree and masters studio projects, I could see my path form as a sustainable architect due to my interests in ecological building, community-led design, environmental activism and climate mitigation, and an overall interest in biodiversity.
- Tell us what you do now – what does your job entail and how did you get into it?
I now work as an environmental activist and ecological architect. I am currently focusing on building with natural materials such as cob, timber, bamboo, earthbags, and reclaimed circular building materials. I am focusing on community-built projects and much-needed architecture such as climate adaptive housing.
I got into my job through many years of experimentation. Throughout my studies in architecture school and after the master’s in architecture, I got involved in innovative and sustainable build workshops, and projects such as Hello Wood (a design/build timber collective based in Hungary), Studio in the Woods (a design/ sustainable build project run by Invisible Studio in England) and the European Architecture Students Assembly (EASA) . I set up a sustainable and community-focused design/build collective with my friends from UCD. I worked in housing, government projects, and as a freelance sustainability consultant and Architect, and alongside this I was heavily involved in environmental activism.
My work in environmental activism led me to found ACAN Ireland and EcoHun (an eco-community and environmental education group) and led me to be invited to be on the steering committee of Architects Declare and to work with Friends of the Earth Dublin, and in turn, with the Irish Green Building Council.
Alongside this activism and environmental architecture work, I went back to university to finish my Professional Diploma in Architecture and register as an Architect and do a higher diploma in sustainable buildings, retrofitting and conservation. During this study, I engaged heavily with sustainable building research where I gained a lot of knowledge on topics such as climate adaptive architecture. This led me to teach students in architecture schools and run workshops for the construction industry on topics such as Whole Life Carbon and Circular Economy in the Built Environment and focus on designing and building ecological buildings.
- What is a circular economy and why is it important to implement circular practices in the built environment?
A circular economy is the opposite of our take-make-waste economy. In a linear economy, the focus is on the single-use and permanent disposal of materials. In the context of the climate and biodiversity crisis, these methods will have devastating future consequences.
In a circular economy, materials never become waste – and waste production is considered an avoidable design flaw. It has been stated that by transitioning to a circular economy, we can tackle 45% of carbon emissions across the value chain.
It is imperative that we implement circular practices into our buildings – such as designing for adaptability, designing for disassembly, resource efficiency and circular materials. In Ireland, over 50% of our waste comes from construction and demolition waste. This statistic is much higher than the average statistic in Europe and showcases how much we need to transition to a circular model now. These materials going to waste could be reused in a circular system today.
Designing circular buildings means that we not only save emissions – we also save biodiversity as we are not harming the earth by extracting new resources to create materials but instead are using reclaimed materials that already exist. In a circular building system, the focus is on using what is already here such as reusing existing buildings, reusing soil for landscape design, and scenario modelling for buildings so the building can be adapted easily for different uses.
In a circular building system, buildings are seen as material banks – so if a part of a building needs to be removed or adapted the materials are harvested, kept at their highest value, and reused. These practices are not new. However, the linear building system we are in now is relatively new and therefore can be easily transformed into a circular system. As a whole, implementing circular building practices is a low hanging fruit to reduce our climate emissions in Ireland.
- What is the CMEx platform and how does it help achieve this?
Construction Materials Exchange (CMEx) is a marketplace for excess and reclaimed construction materials. Its aim is to create a circular system that is transparent and traceable by using: material passports, tracking and tracing, valuation, and matchmaking. CMEx is a key part in aiding Ireland’s transition to a circular economy as it provides the construction industry a space to obtain high-quality secondary materials with ease. This is a need for the construction industry in Ireland today.
