Practitioners Interview Series | Mirjam Schmüll

Mirjam is a circular pioneer in the construction industry, renowned for her holistic approach and ability to connect stakeholders for systemic change. Her career began at William McDonough + Partners, where she implemented circular principles. At RAU Architects (Turntoo), she worked on innovative projects such as the light-as-a-service model for Philips and the materials passport. Later, she transformed an NS monument into UCo – Utrecht Community and united 150 sustainable entrepreneurs into a collaborative community. In 2021, she co-founded Brokkenmákers with Hylke Faber, where she applies her expertise to initiatives with compelling narratives and ongoing impact, such as Merwede LAB, Gebouwenmarktplaats (buildings marketplace) and Het Steigernet Sluiten, with her circular Cradle to Cradle philosophy at its core.

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Photos courtesy of Brokkenmákers

Author

Julia Gospodinova
Julia Gospodinova
Architect

Ir. Julia Gospodinova holds an M.Sc. in Architecture, Urbanism, and Building Sciences from TU Delft. Specializing in Building Technology, she graduated cum laude in 2023. Being passionate about circularity and humanitarian architecture, she combined those topics in her thesis, titled: “Circular Transitional Housing for Displaced People in Extreme Conditions: The Case of Pakistan.” The project won the Circularity in the Built Environment Graduation Award in the category of Buildings & Neighborhoods. Currently, she is the secretary at Project Safe Refuge, a foundation dedicated to providing architectural aid to displaced communities.

Circularity for Educators

The platform is intended to provide with content on either circularity or pedagogy for and about circularity. It is one of the outcomes of the Circular Impulse Initiative (CII), a project intending to enhance the integration of circularity in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment education. The platform mainly aims to help tutors get better acquainted with circularity in the built environment by providing a series of resources on this subject that they can either view to get better informed or directly share with their students in class or online. A large number of the Faculty's professors and researchers have contributed substantially both in creating a coherent narrative for circularity in the built environment as well as further elaborating on different aspects of it. Besides this one, a new platform for interaction and direct exchange was also established in parallel that we call ‘Educators for Circularity‘. This one offers the opportunity for all of us to meet and share our experiences and learn from one another.

Visit Educators for Circularity