An ephemeral exhibition testing Circularity for Workplace
The journey to create a space testing Circularity for the Workplace Design Show started with a simple challenge: How do you design an exhibition space using circular thinking instead of a linear approach? The result was The Circular Hub, designed by MCM Architecture and Future Works, both B Corps, in partnership with Nested Living, a regenerative design studio.
Acknowledging that exhibitions are temporary and often wasteful, we wanted to create a design that could be dismantled and reused, leaving almost no trace, as if it never existed. The aim was to work with elements already in circulation and ensure that any new materials introduced could safely return to a cycle of use.
The Circular Hub was conceptualised by Ana Rita Martins, Sustainability Lead at MCM, as a dedicated space exploring circularity across products and typologies. Materials were traced from raw to refined, with natural and synthetic options shown side by side to reveal different circular pathways. The space was developed in collaborative thinking with Future Works, innovation venture of The Furniture Practice, to re-imagine how circularity can shape the future of interior and workplace design.
As leading experts in Sustainability, we wanted to start by explaining what circularity means to us and our industry. But like all sustainability concepts, circularity is complex and open to many interpretations. For this reason, we chose to rely on the definition of one of the global leaders in circular thinking: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Their definition and the well-known butterfly diagram provides a clear framework that offers an equation for circularity.
The Circular Hub represented two distinct halves of circularity, reflecting the fundamentally different ways materials behave within a circular economy. For that reason we partnered with the regenerative studio Nested Living to explore circular constructive ideas. The other product partners were Materials Assemble, Gencork, Tate, Vitra, Planteria and Studio Omelette, demonstrating how working together is essential to circular design.
The biological side was of circularity expressed through interior typologies such as walls, insulation and surface finishes. Our space showcased products made from biologically regenerative materials, including timber, cork, pressed flora linen wallpaper, wood fibre insulation, ocean salted water dyes, clay plaster, organic waste lamps, seaweed tiles, plants and moss. These materials were sourced from natural systems and designed to safely return to the environment at the end of their life. Rather than over-processing or disguising them, the design highlighted materials in their purest form. For example, cork panels were heat-pressed to meet commercial performance standards while remaining fully biodegradable.
The technical side featured a fully circular partition system designed for clear disassembly and reuse, with the same principles as the MCM Studio wall system developed by MCM with Nested Living. Constructed from plywood, the walls are dry-assembled and mechanically fixed, and innovative recycled jeans insulation, simply celebrating the qualities of timber while enabling complete material recovery. Details such as waste stone terrazzo tiles or second life metal tiles demonstrated how reclaimed materials can achieve a refined, commercial finish. The space also incorporated the Vitra Mynt chair, showcasing contemporary furniture designed with demountability and future disassembly in mind.
At the end of the show, as agreed, there were several reuse streams. The walls were dismantled and resold to a local reuse center that agreed to reuse them after the show. The cork was previously used on another exhibition stand and will return to the workshop for use in future exhibitions, while the printed boards and diagrams were also retained for two upcoming design exhibitions. The flooring is second-life and was returned to Tate for use in a dedicated fit-out project. The rest of the finishes were returned to their original owners after being loaned for the Workplace Design Show.
MCM Architecture
We are an award-winning creative consultancy of workplace strategists, thinkers, designers, writers, architects.
As one of the first UK design practices to become B Corp certified five years ago, MCM takes a holistic approach to ESG at a corporate level and across our retrofit, CAT A and CAT B workplace projects. Our in-house framework, MCM Legacy Values, turns sustainability and social impact into clear and practical action for every project we deliver.
Our own MCM studio brings this thinking to life. It is our sustainability storytelling in action, with circularity and social responsibility embedded in every detail.
We are proud to be part of the many of the industry’s leading climate and regenerative advocacy groups.
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Future Works
Future Works is the innovation venture of The Furniture Practice (TFP), an international furniture specialist for the workplace and living sectors. Born from TFP’s culture of continuous improvement, Future Works focuses on tackling key challenges facing the furniture industry and the built environment, from sustainability and circularity to digital transformation. Working in collaboration with manufacturers, organisations and industry networks, we help surface better, more responsible products while testing new ideas and approaches that help to move the industry forward. Our aim is to help shape a more resilient and future-ready furniture ecosystem, together with the sector.
