Willmott Dixon launches construction reuse campaign at British Science Festival
Willmott Dixon is launching a UK-wide campaign focused on material reuse and repair, with selected entries set to be displayed at the British Science Festival in Southampton in September.
The Inspire Change initiative, run in partnership with the British Science Association and the University of Southampton, is seeking examples from individuals, schools, businesses and community groups showing how materials and everyday items can be reused, repaired or given a longer lifespan.
Selected photographs and descriptions will be exhibited at the festival from 16 to 20 September, alongside a sculpture made from reclaimed metal by Hampshire artist Darren Allsopp.
Construction waste and material reuse
The campaign comes as the construction industry faces increasing pressure to reduce waste and embodied carbon through greater reuse of materials and existing structures.
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Willmott Dixon said it has reduced absolute construction waste by 51% against its 2018 baseline and currently diverts 97% of non-hazardous waste from landfill.
Richard Poulter, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon in the South, said: “Reuse is one of the biggest levers our industry has on carbon, and it is also one of the least understood outside it.
“We wanted to take that conversation somewhere it doesn’t normally go, a public festival, in a city where we build, and start it from something everyone recognises.
“The person repairing a chair at home and the team retaining a building’s frame rather than demolishing it are working on the same problem at different scales.
“Practically, we are working to make reuse easier to specify. Our fire testing programme for cross-laminated timber removed a technical gap that had been slowing low-carbon timber projects across the sector, and at Queen Mary University of London we retained much of an existing building while adding two floors of new teaching space.
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“Those are the decisions that determine a building’s embodied carbon, and they are decisions we want customers and the public to understand.”
Retrofit projects demonstrate reuse approach
Willmott Dixon’s wider work includes retrofit and refurbishment projects aimed at retaining existing building fabric and reducing the carbon associated with new construction.
At TBC.London, at Tower Bridge Court, reclaimed structural steel was incorporated into the redevelopment of an existing building.
The retrofit approach is reported to have saved 6,365 tonnes of CO₂ compared with a new-build alternative, while the reused steel avoided a further 48 tonnes of embodied carbon.
The contractor has also worked on the retrofit and extension of Queen Mary University of London’s Informatics Teaching Laboratory in Mile End, retaining much of the existing structure while adding two floors of teaching space.
Other projects cited include Hounsome Fields School in Hampshire, which is targeting Passivhaus Classic certification, and a Passivhaus Plus school for the London Borough of Sutton.
British Science Festival to showcase reuse
The British Science Festival attracts more than 10,000 visitors each year and will take place at the University of Southampton from 16 to 20 September.
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James Brown, Head of Festivals at the British Science Association, said: “The British Science Festival is all about shining a spotlight on the unseen areas of science and innovation that are making a difference to peoples’ lives and helping address global challenges.
“We’re very excited to be working with Willmott Dixon on this year’s Festival to showcase their amazing work and to encourage others to re-think their relationship with the materials around them.”
Darren Allsopp, artist and founder of D’Sculpted, said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been asked to create a sculpture for the British Science Festival. Working with reclaimed metal is all about seeing the potential in something that’s no longer wanted, and I’m looking forward to bringing that idea to the Festival.
“I hope the sculpture encourages people to look at everyday objects differently and think about what they could become, instead of throwing them away. I’d love people to get involved by sharing the things they’ve reused, repaired or transformed in their own lives.”
Entries for the Inspire Change campaign can include construction material reuse, repair projects, furniture restoration, upcycling and community initiatives.
Submissions close at 12 noon on 7 September 2026, with selected entries to be displayed during the festival.
