The Circular Economy

Author: Duzan Doepel

Giving shape to the process and the financing is just as important as the design itself. I strongly believe that design can act as an agent for social renewal, and lead to strategies that contribute to a circular and inclusive economy. Circular in the sense of transforming energy, water, waste and material cycles into closed cycles. Inclusive in the sense of creating implementation trajectories that empower people who are otherwise removed from the labour market. In my presentation at the WdKA symposium 'Redesigning Business'(Rotterdam, November 20 2014) I explained the working methods, struggles and solutions of circular and inclusive economy, for example through the futuristic design for the 'Biobased Retrofit House'.

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Duzan Doepel is co-founder of DOEPEL STRIJKERS, an architecture firm that bridges the gap between art and science with intelligent design and strategic interventions. Driven by a fascination for aesthetics with substance, the office generates architectural works which transcend the spatial by creating social, ecological and economic value. He is also a research professor (lector) of Sustainable Architecture and Urban (Re-)Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam, and a staff member of the research centre RDM.