Flavie Lowres, FIS Sustainability Champion, spoke to Hattie Emerson, Project Manager for the FIS Project Reuse and Head of Construction Sustainability at McLaughlin and Harvey, and Darcy Arnold-Jones, Circular Economy Lead and Project Architect at Marks Barfield Architects (MBA), to learn more about the important roles they are playing to reduce carbon, waste, and material insecurity in the fit-out sector, their thoughts on bespoke products and the FIS Reuse initiative which is a key part of their work.
Flavie began by asking Hattie and Darcy, “Can you introduce yourselves and provide us with an insight into your roles?”
Hattie said: “I’ve spent more than 20 years working across the built environment sector, with facilities management companies and tier one contractors. The inefficiency of the industry has motivated me to push for better practices, particularly to reduce waste intensity and advance circularity. I’m particularly passionate about biobased and natural materials and the connectivity of buildings to place. I’m also actively involved in the ACAN Circular Economy Taskforce, developing industrywide initiatives to drive change.”
Darcy explained that she has five years’ professional architectural and hands-on expertise in design, retrofit, and deconstruction. She said: “I approach projects with a pragmatic understanding of how to reduce waste and embed circular principles. This is grounded in a wider ambition to radically change our industry in the face of the Climate Emergency.
“I also run a part-time Circular Economy consultancy, DAR.CE Studios, to work with partners (e.g., Reusefully) who are equally intent on progress. I am a member of the Edge and the Circular Do-Tank.
“Alongside my day jobs, regenerative design and circular economy leadership has been a core passion and focus of mine over the past three years. This role includes developing Circular Economy consultancy services, material reuse strategies, regenerative frameworks, and project-based advisory support. My material reuse and systems expertise spans donor–recipient relationship development, material passporting standards, and engagement with deconstruction and reuse-led projects.”
Hattie went on to explain that she is the Project Manager for the FIS Project Reuse pilot study, which is addressing the physical and logistical challenges of demounting products during strip-out and reinstalling them in other commercial offices (changing ownership).
“We are developing case studies to share learnings and costs to help de-risk and scale product reuse. This includes understanding the costs involved and when reuse is commercially viable, which early evidence shows is more often than people think!” she said
Flavie then asked, “What types of projects do you get involved with, and why and how did you become involved in reuse?”
Hattie commented that the project generally receives products from CAT A fit-outs, where products have been installed for less than a year despite being warrantied for five years or more. Typically, these products are sent for recycling, even though they are fully functional and have considerable residual value.
Hattie explained the FIS Project Reuse is currently focusing on metal ceiling tiles and luminaires.
She went on to say: “This initiative is providing a practical platform to test and scale product reuse in commercial fit-outs. By focusing on demounting and relocating metal ceiling tiles and luminaires on real projects – we literally get into the nuts and bolts of reuse. We work with stakeholders from across the value chain to establish the commercial sensitivities such as cost, quality and warranty concerns and work to derisk selection of quality used products. “It also generates case studies and guidance that encourage designers and contractors to embed design for deconstruction, making it easier for future projects to reuse products onsite or offsite.
“The initiative is one of the projects that has emerged from the FIS Sustainability Leadership Working Group, which was set up by FIS five years ago to explore how to accelerate sustainability in the fit-out sector through collaboration. The project is funded by FIS members and wider stakeholders.” More information can be found out about FIS Project Reuse by visiting: www.thefis.
org/knowledge-hub/sustainability/reuse/
Darcy said: “I have worked on a range of projects with reuse embedded at every stage. These include large commercial office refurbishments in Central London, such as 22 Baker Street, where we saved 577,041 kgCO2e (A1–A5) and £1,655,660 by championing reuse in situ. This jumpstarted a series of projects, mainly based in London, where I acted as either Architect or CE Consultant, to help facilitate reuse in situ or find homes for good quality second hand materials…often becoming a salesman for the reused!”
“I am currently working on a Grade II-listed community building, striving to source second-hand materials, and an educational building, aiming to minimise waste through efficient design and reuse in situ.”
Both interviewees agreed that the main drivers for why and how they became involved in reuse were a reduction in carbon and waste, as reused products can save an average of 85% embodied carbon compared to new, reduce waste, and support material security. The war in Ukraine, among wider global uncertainties, recently led to increased material prices and uncertainty in supply.
The carbon impact of fit-outs has become a key issue in the sector. Studies carried out by Overbury show that the carbon emissions from the structure of buildings can be quickly overtaken by the emissions generated by repeated fit-outs, especially as fit-out cycles accelerate, as is currently the case (See Fig. 1).
Darcy pointed out that many clients have set up Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies, which leads them to look for ways to reduce their carbon impact. It is becoming increasingly common for funders to set requirements to identify innovative and carbon-saving solutions in order to award funding. Aside from this, MBA has a strong drive to champion regenerative design and reduce the impact of their projects.
Julia Barfield, one of the founders of MBA, sits on a steering group for Architects Declare and was one of the main organisers of the London Eye Circular event in October 2025, which brought together 400 people to discuss the circular economy.
Darcy said: “MBA has been a great place to test my keen interest in sustainability on projects, and projects such as 22 Baker Street came at an opportune time to implement a reuse strategy. Previous business as usual projects showed great recycling figures, but in reality, demonstrated downcycling, which raised concerns at MBA and a desire to do better.
“MBA works on a range of projects, from smaller pro bono schemes with limited budgets to larger commercial projects. The question then became how to move excess or stripped-out products from larger projects to smaller ones.”
Flavie was keen to ask Hattie and Darcy, “How they would define bespoke, and could they provide some examples?”
Darcy shared her view, explaining that bespoke products can be defined in various ways. They can be products that are not available off the shelf — that is, not products a supplier produces regularly. She said: “They can also be products that only work for a specific project, either because they were designed to make a statement or because their bespoke size or shape makes future reuse difficult in another building.”
Hattie added that products that are designed to fit with a specific finish — such as luminaires designed and manufactured to fit a specific ceiling system — pose challenges for reuse as they cannot be decoupled to be used as individual components.
Hattie recalled the example of a ceiling raft system installed in a CAT A space, with bespoke elements and a known limited installation period. Upon demounting, they examined the luminaires and found that, although they were excellent, high-quality products, their mounting was bespoke and only compatible with that particular ceiling system and finish.
As a result, they could not be used independently of the ceiling tiles, significantly limiting their reuse potential. Most were therefore sent for recycling, despite having only been used for a fraction of their potential lifespan.
Darcy noted: “Some systems can be defined as bespoke in their installation and fixings because they need to be deconstructed in a specific order. This means that deconstruction is not only time-consuming but also requires specialist skills, which can increase costs.”
“Obviously, items tied to the latest fashion or a specific client aesthetic are difficult to reposition in another building. This is the case with the Rathborne Place tiles, which have an unusual perforation size and a shiny finish. Those were lucky to have found a suitable new home,” said Hattie.
Darcy recalled the example of a beautiful solid wood door that was an unusual size and too large to be removed from a building without cutting it. She also mentioned that fashionable floor-to-ceiling height doors and glazed partitions can make relocation very difficult. Both agreed that, overall, any items designed for a specific area can be classified as bespoke. This includes chandeliers in lobbies and joinery pieces such as reception desks.
Flavie asked, “Why do people specify bespoke products?” based on the challenges this can create for reuse. Darcy mentioned that it is often the designer’s agency that drives the specification, as they have a vision for the look and feel of a space. The client is sold a dream at concept design that the designer aims to match in visualisations, leading to a vision which can often only be achieved through bespoke. One issue that has occurred recently is that if a designer uses AI visual software to produce imagery, it is essentially make-believe and the result is likely to be more bespoke.
Hattie added that it is in the manufacturers interest to sell bespoke products as they demand a premium. She also noted the people responsible for designing the space, manufacturing, or installing the products often do not consider how the product will be removed from the building or deconstructed for relocation. They focus on the “now,” rather than future applications.
Flavie’s final question to Hattie and Darcy was, “What message would you give them so that they create less bespoke?” After the discussion, both agreed that design for deconstruction should be embedded in products and spaces. Darcy said: “Do not design for obsolescence or for yourself — think about the future life.” Hattie’s advice was to consider using standard sizes, how to deconstruct and remove the product from the building, and whether the product can be upgraded — for example, to achieve better energy efficiency, different colour rendering, or to meet changing regulations or design trends.
