Designing the Future: Why the Built Environment Matters in a Circular Economy
- Pam Francis
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
For much of my career, I've lived in two worlds. By day, I work in commercial interior design at Schott Design, helping clients create spaces that inspire people and support the way they work. Outside of that role, I have the privilege of serving as President of the Board for Circular Indiana, where we focus on advancing a more circular economy across our state.
This year, those two worlds are intersecting in a meaningful way.
For the first time, Circular Indiana's conference will include a focus on the built environment—exploring design for deconstruction, material reuse, and the role architects and designers play in reducing the environmental impact of our buildings. As someone who has spent more than a decade working in commercial interiors, I couldn't be more excited to bring this conversation to my industry peers.
Waste Impacts of the Built Environment
Some of the first things I learned when I entered the Commercial Interior Design field, which is part of both the built environment and the overarching construction and demolition (C&D) industry, were:
These statistics are sobering and projected to get worse. As a participant in this field, I began diving deeper to understand how we could work differently in the interior remodel space. When people think about the environmental footprint of a building, they often picture the concrete, steel, and structural systems that went into its original construction. What many don't realize is that the interior of a commercial building may be renovated every five to seven years. Over the life of a building, those repeated remodels can have an environmental impact that exceeds the original construction by two times or more. Every wall built, every finish specified, every floor replaced, every piece of furniture discarded, represents another opportunity to create waste or preserve value
Reducing Waste from the Built Environment
The good news is that we have more influence than we sometimes realize. To give you an idea of the carbon and waste impact of some common elements in an interior remodel, consider the following actions. In an average remodel project, each step has an opportunity to reduce both climate impact and waste.
Reduce, Reuse, or Rethink instead of Replacing
Every project should begin with a simple question: What can we avoid replacing? Thoughtful reduction and reuse are often the most sustainable design decisions we can make. Before specifying something new, carefully evaluate what already exists and whether it can be adapted, refreshed, or incorporated into the next design. In many cases, these are not only environmentally responsible decisions; they are financially smart ones. Doors, casework, architectural millwork, and other building components represent significant investment. Replacing them often creates unnecessary costs for building owners while sending perfectly functional materials to the landfill. Finding creative ways to refresh, repurpose, or incorporate existing elements can deliver meaningful savings without compromising great design.
Every project should begin with a simple question: What can we avoid replacing?
In addition, rethink the products you specify. Over time, Schott Design intentionally reduced products containing PVC and other materials of concern from our materials library. Initially, it felt like a significant constraint. Instead, we discovered an expanding marketplace of healthier alternatives that allowed us to maintain the same level of creativity while making better choices for both people and the environment. Additionally, when specifying design elements, avoid commingling materials. Designing with the fewest intermingled materials and with disassembly in mind are important design principles to achieve circularity and minimize waste.
Circularity: the Gold Standard
Circularity is the gold standard. Ask product manufacturers what happens to a product after your client is finished using it. Does the manufacturer have a take-back program? Can the material be recycled into a new product? Was it designed with a second life in mind? These questions are just as important as aesthetics, performance, and budget. If a product is not circular, it is just a can we continue to kick down the road, which ultimately becomes waste.
Where Stewardship Meets Design
Good design is ultimately about stewardship, and being thoughtful stewards of our clients' investments, our natural resources, and the spaces we create. The best news is, designers and architects occupy a unique position of influence:
We lead multidisciplinary project teams
We guide material selection
We advise building owners
We shape client expectations
We influence manufacturers through our specifications and purchasing decisions
Few professions have as much opportunity to accelerate circularity in the built environment.
The 4th Annual Circular Indiana Conference
At the 2026 Circular Indiana conference, we will explore innovations in design for deconstruction, hear from organizations already putting these ideas into practice, and connect with partners who are helping transform the way buildings are designed, renovated, and ultimately taken apart.
This is an especially important conversation to me, as I believe that the built environment represents one of our greatest opportunities to reduce waste, conserve resources, and create lasting value for the state of Indiana, and it brings my two worlds clearly in alignment.
Get Involved with Circular Indiana
Ready to be part of Indiana’s circular transformation? Connect with industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers, and learn how your organization can leverage these strategies:
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Become a member of Circular Indiana and support our important work today! Members receive complimentary conference registration for the 2026 Conference.
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