How can we decouple economic growth from the consumption of natural resources? This question lies at the heart of Thomas Rau’s work and is central to circular design thinking.
By Nina Zulian, Founder and Editor of Plural Magazine
Most buildings are designed to last, but Dutch architect Thomas Rau envisions them to evolve. His approach to architecture emphasises temporary structures, material reuse, and a future where buildings are not static monuments but adaptable systems. As an acclaimed thought leader on sustainability and the circular economy, he is recognised not only for pioneering regenerative building practices but also for his broader critique of the systems underpinning modern economies.
At What Design Can Do 2025, the main stage of Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam became the setting for a thought-provoking talk under the title “Circular Futures: One Hour with…Thomas Rau”, which drew a full audience of designers, architects, students and entrepreneurs—some already familiar with Rau’s work, others encountering his perspective for the first time.
Sustainability vs circularity
Rau drew a clear distinction between sustainability and circularity. Sustainability, he argued, works by improving existing systems—reducing harm without fundamentally changing the structures that cause it. Circularity, on the other hand, calls for a full redesign of those systems. Rather than patching flaws, it aims to eliminate them by rethinking how materials flow, how value is created, and how waste is avoided. This makes sustainability insufficient for addressing the deep-rooted challenges of our time.
He pointed out that the current economy operates far below its potential, primarily because most companies focus only on production and delivery. There is rarely consideration for what happens to a product once it’s no longer in use. Rau emphasised that until we start asking fundamental questions—like who owns a product at the end of its life, and where its materials go—we cannot achieve a fully circular economy.
He also challenged the notion that economic growth must rely on resource extraction. He described everything on Earth as a ‘limited edition’—a reminder that our planet is a closed system with finite resources. With this in mind, he stressed the urgency of designing within planetary boundaries and taking resource scarcity seriously.
Today’s models are based on value creation chains, but lack value sustain chains, he noted. Only by implementing a continuous loop of material reuse—a perpetual material chain—can circularity be truly realised.
To illustrate this transformation in thinking, Rau played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata twice. The second time, the piece had been reversed by a sound engineer, reconstructing it to play backwards. The result was unfamiliar yet beautiful—recognisable, but transformed. For Rau, this reversal embodied the principle of circularity: taking what already exists and reshaping it into something new, without adding more or generating waste.
“He described everything on Earth as a ‘limited edition’, a reminder that our planet is a closed system with finite resources.”
From Ownership to Stewardship
One important theme in Rau’s lecture was the shift from ownership to stewardship. He described waste as a material without identity—and stressed that when materials are given identity through documentation and traceability, they become assets.
This idea is central to his concept of the “material passport”: a digital record that documents every component in a building, including its origin, condition and potential for reuse. In this way, buildings become more than static objects—they become material banks, with parts that can be retrieved, reconfigured and reintegrated.
To support this approach, Rau co-founded Madaster, a platform that registers materials in the built environment. He likened it to a financial system, where the value of materials is recognised, recorded and managed. “We need to create a material inventory and treat it as something of financial value,” he said. “That’s when the mindset starts to shift.”
The Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2025
During the event, Rau introduced one of his firm’s latest projects: the Dutch Pavilion for Expo 2025 in Osaka. Designed as a fully circular structure, the pavilion must be dismantled and relocated after six months—underscoring Rau’s belief that architecture should adapt, not endure indefinitely.
Conceived as a material depot, the structure is designed for complete disassembly. Components are joined with visible screws, logged in Madaster’s material passport for traceability, and intended for reuse after the Expo at a new site.
Japan’s Edo period, a historical era shaped by material scarcity and a culture of continuous reuse, served as a key inspiration for the pavilion’s design. Echoing these values, the project offers a contemporary response to global challenges—proposing zero-waste thinking not as heritage, but as a necessity for the future.
A mirrored sphere at its heart matches the dimensions of Tarō Okamoto’s “future sun” from Expo 1970, adding a symbolic dimension to the pavilion. It stands as a poetic reflection on continuity, renewal, and our shared responsibility to design within limits.” Can you make something like ” not only as heritage, but as a necessity for the future.
From Lecture to Dialogue
The session concluded with a moderated discussion led by Ise Weier and Leo Larche Hitchcox of the Design Academy Eindhoven’s Lecture Series Committee. The conversation delved deeper into how circular principles can be implemented in practice.
Rau made clear that meaningful change doesn’t need to wait for legislation. He emphasised personal responsibility and the importance of working with clients who are willing to adopt a circular mindset.
He urged the audience to view time as a core material in the design process. Short-term thinking, he explained, leads to poor systems and waste. Design should extend beyond present needs, recognising that today’s decisions shape tomorrow’s outcomes.
Rau pointed to a paradox in consumer behaviour: while users expect performance from products, they rarely consider the materials behind them. Using the example of a vacuum cleaner, he explained that most users care only about function, not what the product is made from. This mindset, he said, should guide us toward models where products are accessed, not owned—and materials are understood as services. Materials are not possessions, but components borrowed and eventually returned to the cycle of use.
He acknowledged the challenge, noting that many products today are poorly made and designed for obsolescence.
He also addressed questions from the audience—ranging from the scalability of circular practices to the real-world barriers they present, such as cost, labour intensity and logistical complexity. Rau acknowledged these challenges, but maintained that the long-term benefits of material recovery and system redesign outweigh the initial hurdles.
In closing, Rau suggested a future in which the value of a home is assessed not only by its location or design but also by the financial worth of its materials. Such a shift would require a reimagining of not only how we design, but also how we assign value in our economies.
Final Thoughts
As the lecture concluded, Rau left the audience with a lasting reflection: waste is not the end of something, but the beginning—if we give it identity.
His talk at What Design Can Do went beyond architecture. It offered a vision for how design can reshape not only buildings, but behaviours, systems, and values. In Rau’s view, design is not just about form or function—it’s a form of responsibility. And the decisions made today must serve both people and materials for years to come.
“Waste is not the end of something, but the beginning – if we give it identity.”
Words by Nina Zulian, Founder and Editor of Plural Magazine
About the author
Nina Zulian, a Brazilian curator and designer based in Amsterdam, is dedicated to contemporary design, art, and crafts. Her practice involves actively seeking out materials and processes that support regeneration and circular design, underscoring her strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility. She is the driving force behind Plural Magazine, an online platform that centers on design and material research, and a business partner of SOMA Studio Milano circular design consultancy.
