GRUPO CONSTRUCÍA LEAN2CRADLE® – Healthy and circular spaces

Grupo Construcia is a Spanish group of companies dedicated to the design and construction of commercial spaces (offices, shopping centers, CPD, and others). It’s composed by Implanta (architecture & engineering services), Construcia Instalaciones (design and installation of electrical, clima and plumbing systems) and Construcia S.L. that works as General Contractor. EIG is also part of Grupo Construcia since 2012.

Since its incorporation to the Group, EIG is working internally in the definition of a roadmap to change Grupo Construcia’s business model to the circular economy. The General Direction is directly involved in the project and, despite of the complexity of the work, many steps have been done in the right direction, since its first public announcement in November 2013 at the Cercle d’Economia de Barcelona (Grupo Construcía towards the Circular Economy_ Círculo de Economía de Barcelona)

The roadmap involves changes in both internal operations and business model. This means that innovation was needed to create the basis for circular construction. In this case, the first step was to develop a new methodology to build spaces, enabling the material recovery at the end o its use cycle. Lean2Cradle®, the methodology designed by EIG, combines the systemic and intensive design approach of LEAN Construction together with the Cradle to Cradle® perspective. The benefits of both methodologies are to be measured by a set of KPIs developed to reflect quality and performance.

The Lean2Cradle metrics are related to each project phase (from design to deconstruction-nutrient management), being its core tool the Material Passport. This tool compiles all the information at nutrient level (raw materials) for all products that are part of a project, with their expected use cycle, cycling path and estimated residual value.

Several trainings and workshops were conducted, both for Grupo Construcia’s workers and its suppliers. In fact, it was created a Green Supply Platform called Plataforma Construcía, that is shared by the whole Group (Madrid, Barcelona, Lisboa). The Platform has both products (Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM or assessed through a C2C Potential Screening) and service providers that have received a special training to preserve the quality and cyclability of the products. The aim is not only to have the right partners to implement this new model but also to transform the local industry.

Construcía is applying  the Lean2Cradle® methodology in several projects. The set of indicators have been updated including also a survey -pre and post-occupancy- to understand the needs and feels of the opccupants of the spaces.

Material Passports, Deconstruction Plans and integration of these parameters in the BIM model are the key elements of Lean2Cradle® projects.

Digg into our Projects area and you’ll find several examples of implementation.