Pathways to circularity

18 Jun 2026

Agenda

Thursday 18th June – 12:30pm-3:30pm

12:30pm Welcome from the moderator

An opening session to establish a shared understanding of circularity in the built environment and highlights from the GBCA’s circular procurement guide.

Katherine Featherstone,  Senior Manager, Products & Materials, Green Building Council of Australia 


12:40pm Material consideration as a driver for circular outcomes 

Renae Tapley, Founder, Future Materials & Perth Studio Director, Foolscap


1:05pm Whole-of-Life Thinking: cost, carbon  and circularity – making the business case

Tom Dean, Director, Carbon Planning, Slattery  


1:30pm Designing out waste and solutions with Green Star 

Speaker to be confirmed 


1:50pm Break (10 minutes)


CASE STUDIES

2:00pm Circular Design Pathways for fitouts  – Designing for value and longevity

This session introduces practical circular design pathways, explaining how teams identify circular strategies at both building and fitout levels. It explores how circular intent is shaped during early design and briefing stages. This session will illustrate Arup Brisbane’s head office fitout as an example.

Sophie Kebbell, Senior Interior Designer,  Hassell


2:30pm Designing for disassembly and material reuse – a truly circular approach 

Karolina Bäckman Faulkner, Associate, Circular Design Specialist, 3XN 


3:00pm  Panel Discussion: Moving circular principles to action – translating intent into outcomes

This panel will explore how circular decisions are really made on projects.  The panellists will discuss trade‑offs, commercial pressures, and who ultimately holds responsibility for carrying circular outcomes through design, procurement, and delivery.

  • Who drives circular decisions and outcomes?
  • What gets value‑engineered out, and why?
  • How can teams protect circular intent under time and cost pressure?
  • Documentation as an enabler – information modelling and material tracking
  • What opportunities to fitouts bring to drive greater examples of circular solutions in practice?

Dr. Jim Goddin, Head of Circular Economy,  thinkstep-anz

Clayton Bristow, Managing Director, FF&3

Plus more to be confirmed


3:30pm Session close