Мышление платформ: как стандартизация спасет стройку от климатического кризиса

Dr Sonnich Sonnichson, associate professor of circular economy and business transformation, says platform thinking can help business operations align with planetary needs Dr Sonnich Sonnichson is associate professor of circular economy and business transformation at Nottingham Business School, part of Nottingham Trent University. Cars aren’t redesigned every time one is built, so why do we still work that way in construction? The automotive industry uses ‘economies of repetition’ – repeatable assets such as standardised components, processes, knowledge and partnerships – to achieve growth and variety without starting from scratch. “We are stuck in a pattern of ‘rinse and repeat’, where teams are forced to reinvent solutions for every new project” This approach is called platform thinking, and while car manufacturers introduced this model of effectiveness decades ago, construction still treats every project as a unique experiment. The industry remains one of the biggest obstacles to tackling climate change – responsible for half of all extracted materials, one-third of carbon emissions, and over a third of all waste. We need to align business operations with planetary needs, shifting from the linear ‘take-make-waste’ model to a circular economy. In construction, a circular approach means treating buildings as temporary material banks, where components can be recovered, reused and reintegrated into future projects rather than demolished and discarded. But despite growing awareness, circular construction is still largely confined to pilot projects. Innovation for circularity is blocked by limited knowledge-exchange, communication gaps between stakeholders, and the loss of knowledge once project teams disband. So, we are stuck in a pattern of ‘rinse and repeat’, where teams are forced to reinvent solutions for every new project rather than building on previous knowledge. The answer requires a fundamental shift in how the industry organises itself – this is where platform thinking comes in. Platform thinking Platform thinking focuses on creating and reusing ‘repeatable assets’ across projects, building a shared foundation that can be adapted and improved over time. In manufacturing, for example, carmakers use standardised platforms – such as a common chassis or engine system – across multiple models, increasing efficiency while still offering variation. In digital industries, platforms like app ecosystems or online marketplaces bring together different users and stakeholders to create value collectively. Construction is beginning to experiment with similar ideas. Focusing on four types of repeatable assets, platform thinking enables a scalable circular economy and creates profitability. Standardised components, such as modular systems with fixed interfaces, make it easier to disassemble buildings and reuse materials. Repeatable processes help reduce errors, waste and cost across projects. Shared knowledge platforms, such as material passports, document exactly what goes into a building, reducing uncertainty about reclaimed materials. And stable, longer-term partnerships replace the stop-start nature of traditional project teams with more consistent collaboration. The real promise of platform thinking is environmental gains alongside a stronger business case, and research has demonstrated the financial benefits of this approach. One developer using modular construction and a consistent project team reported savings of around 25 per cent between its first and fifth projects. By applying lessons learned and reusing proven solutions, projects became more predictable in cost, time and scope. Circular buildings can also sell faster and achieve higher prices per metre square. When circular approaches become repeatable and scalable, they become cheaper and less risky. In turn, this helps overcome one of the biggest barriers to adoption. Instead of each project starting from scratch, knowledge accumulates, expertise deepens and supply chains become more aligned. Materials can flow more easily from one project to the next. Businesses must learn to align their commercial survival and competitive advantage with the health of the planet, moving from human-centred resource extraction towards system-wide material and value regeneration. We have the technology, but we lack the systems and learnings to scale circular solutions. By using platform thinking as a foundation, the construction industry can finally break its fragmented vicious cycle and build a future where materials stay in the loop as resources rather than becoming waste with no value.