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02 Building/unbuilding - what construction needs now

Construction productivity has gone backwards; it was already the worst of any industry. There's also a housing crisis so there's a lot of hope riding on new methods of construction (MMC) along with the need for circularity and electrification.

This event will tap three of the most brilliant speakers in these sectors.

Lasse Lind's company the Danish based GXN specialises in circular design (designing for disassembly), behavioural design (how people interact with buildings) and technology to push innovation to make buildings more sustainable, as UNSW’s Philip Oldfield said in an interview with Lind a few years ago. GXN designed Circle House in Denmark, the country’s first circular social housing project – “90 per cent of its building materials are intended for future re-use”.

Karl-Heinz Weiss, Lendlease’s former guru on MMC. He is one of the handful of insiders in Australia who can unpack this complex but promising innovation. It can open the doors to alternative more sustainable materials and a host of better outcomes for the planet.

Ross Harding of Finding Infinity is probably Australia's most creative circular economy accelerator. He brings together an incredible range of people to define new solutions in sustainable buildings and works with some of the biggest property owners and developers in Australia.

Leaders - the bios

Karl-Heinz Weiss: As the founder and director of Weiss Insights, Weiss focuses on consultancy and advisory focusing on whole of life-cycle efficiency and productivity challenges and opportunities. He is Lendlease’s former guru on modern methods of construction and built UK's first prefab high-rise. His experience is gained through first-hand experience across the whole construction lifecycle from design, manufacture and traditional construction and development through to his pioneering work in engineered timber technology. This includes all aspects of design from feasibility to architectural and structural design, from customer interaction, all the way through to execution including manufacturing, logistics and site planning and completion.

Weiss is also Professor of Practice in the Architecture Department, Monash University in Melbourne and a Member of the Future Building Research Initiative and drive research with a focus on industrial building - strategies, practices and platforms

Lasse Lind: Lasse Lind is the Head of Circularity and partner at GXN, the innovation unit of 3XN. Specialising in sustainability and the circular economy within the construction industry, Lind has led pioneering projects that emphasise the reuse and adaptability of building materials. A notable example is Circle House, Denmark's first circular social housing project, designed so that 90% of its building materials can be reused in the future.

Under Lasse's leadership, GXN also played a significant role in the CIRCuIT (Circular Construction in Regenerative Cities) project, which aimed to transition urban construction towards circular practices by preserving resources within the built environment for as long as possible. Lasse advocates for architects to act as mediators among various professions, engaging with stakeholders across the value chain—from demolition contractors to facility managers—to foster systemic change towards sustainability, in materiality, design and construction, aligned with the principles of a circular economy.

Ross Harding: Equal part's troublemaker, technical mind, and creative, Harding is one of the most enthusiastic, optimistic and cheeky engineers you’ve ever met. A rare combination of dreamer and schemer: he thinks big picture about transforming cities around the world to become completely self-sufficient. At the same time, working tirelessly with his team at Finding Infinity to actually make it happen.

Operating across a range of scales from city-wide master planning to precincts, building design, and even temporary events, Finding Infinity are doing their best at turning dreams into reality. Short for finding a future based on infinite resources, Finding Infinity is a creative and technical environmental consultancy. His team of 10 unique characters based in Melbourne consist of architects, engineers, artists, urban agriculture specialists and more. Best known for “A New Normal”: a $100 billion strategy to transform Melbourne into a self-sufficient city together with 15 architecture firms. Conceptualised and initiated in his living room in Fitzroy, A New Normal now has over $200 million worth of live projects spread across Melbourne.

Each project delivers profitable examples with the private sector, engages with the general public in a colourful way, and is specifically designed to inform much needed policy.

Our moderator

Maria Atkinson is a gifted moderator. She knows how to ask the curly questions and be entertaining at the same time. Plus, she’s got a wealth of experience at all levels of this amazing industry we’re all part of, from co-founder of the Green Building Council of Australia to board director of some of the most interesting companies in the business.

TFE Members can access $35+fees tickets. If you are not a TFE member, join now!