Arcology System is a firm focused on unlocking the circular economy potential of the built environment by enabling commercial fit-outs to be modular, flexible, and reusable.
The company’s aim is to transform existing – and in many cases, stranded or underperforming—assets into intelligent, future-ready environments. This approach aligns with a ‘space-as-a-service’ mindset and addresses post-Covid shifts in workplace demand, where adaptability and reuse are paramount.
Rather than following the traditional model of speculative Cat A delivery – where landlords provide a finished shell with ceilings, raised floors, and basic services that are often stripped out by incoming tenants during their own Cat B fit-outs – Arcology System introduces an integrated solution that eliminates this redundancy. By using modular, reconfigurable components, spaces can transition seamlessly from one tenant to another without demolition, while also reducing the environmental and financial burden of dilapidations at lease end.
“A typical commercial fit-out only lasts five to seven years,” explains CEO and co-founder Colette van Jaarsveld. “Each re-fit generates a huge amount of waste. That’s why the industry needs to start building more like sushi than soup – using clean, separable layers that can be reconfigured as needed, not mashed together and discarded.”
Developing Arcology System
van Jaarsveld, an interior architect with 25 years of experience across South Africa, Ireland, and the Middle East, has led commercial fit-out projects since the early 2000s. Over time, she observed systemic inefficiencies in how interiors were built, discarded, and rebuilt – often at great environmental and operational cost.
Arcology System was developed in response to these challenges. It is a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) system built around a configurable kit of parts – extruded aluminium structural components that act like a precision-engineered Meccano set. The system integrates magnetic lighting, access control, and power infrastructure, and is designed to work seamlessly with existing materials already in the construction supply chain, as well as emerging bio-based materials.
Doors, ceilings, and wall modules can be upgraded or replaced in-situ without affecting adjacent elements. Spaces can be reconfigured on demand using infrastructure and modules that have already been procured and installed – allowing organisations to adapt to new working patterns or occupancy needs without the disruption of demolition and rebuild.
“I had the privilege of starting from scratch and saying, ‘I know where the technology is’,” says van Jaarsveld. “I know what needs to be done.”
From ‘capex’ to ‘opex’
It is widely estimated that around 80% of the buildings that will be in use by 2050 are already standing today. This makes it clear that the route to net zero depends less on new construction and more on how we adapt and decarbonise existing stock.
van Jaarsveld argues that what’s needed is a shift in mindset – from upfront capital expenditure (CapEx) to a more service-based, operational model (OpEx). By modularising interior infrastructure, fit-outs can be treated as adaptable assets that retain value, rather than as disposable one-time investments.
“When you reframe interior infrastructure as something that can be repurposed, relocated, or even traded, you’re changing how asset owners think about return on investment,” says van Jaarsveld. “You’re no longer spending once and scrapping it five years later. You’re building long-term flexibility into the balance sheet.”
She points to growing interest among institutional investors and asset developers. One Swedish investment fund planning 100 towers across Europe quickly saw the long-term value in adapting its interiors. In another case, a property owner in Sydney with a portfolio of 80 buildings was actively seeking scalable retrofit options that wouldn’t require full strip-outs.
“The supply chain is already there,” she adds. “We’re just enabling it to function more intelligently.”
What ‘Space as a Service’ really means
In discussing the concept of ‘space as a service’, van Jaarsveld draws a distinction between commercial flexibility in leasing and true spatial flexibility in the built environment. She points to the example of WeWork, which pioneered short-term lease models and operational agility, but still delivered buildings using conventional construction methods that offered little in terms of adaptability.
“WeWork changed how we use space, but not how we build it,” she says. “If a major tenant moves out, you’re still stuck with plasterboard and fixed wiring that need to be demolished before anything else can happen. That’s not sustainable.”
Arcology System takes the next step by embedding flexibility into the physical infrastructure itself. Its grid-based modular system enables reconfiguration without demolition, meaning interiors can be adapted, rebranded, or reskinned without disruption or waste.
“That’s where true ‘space as a service’ comes in,” she explains. “If your business evolves, your space evolves with it. The base infrastructure is already in place, and you can reconfigure layouts, upgrade finishes, or shift functions without having to start from scratch.”
Buildings as material banks
A key principle behind Arcology System is the reclassification of interior spaces as material banks – where components hold measurable value and can be reused, relocated, or traded instead of discarded.
“There’s a growing movement towards viewing buildings as material banks,” says van Jaarsveld. “Financial tools are emerging to help businesses quantify the value of the components in their spaces, and report them as assets – not just sunk costs.”
This thinking isn’t just theoretical – policy is catching up too. Under the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, construction is identified as a priority sector for cutting waste and emissions. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, adopted in 2024, now requires certain products to be designed for reuse, repair, and recycling, with digital product passports set to become mandatory for many building elements. These passports will help track a product’s origin, composition, and reuse potential – making it easier to trade or repurpose materials.
Additional updates to the Construction Products Regulation and new reporting rules under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mean that developers and landlords will increasingly have to show how materials are used, reused, or discarded across a building’s life.
Modular systems like Arcology’s are built for this new landscape. Ceilings, partitions, doors, and service elements can be recovered in excellent condition, upgraded or relocated, and tracked using digital tags – making them compatible with these upcoming requirements and helping asset owners stay ahead of regulation.
“But you can only trade these things if they come apart like sushi,” she adds. “Nobody’s going to buy your used plasterboard. If anything, they’ll charge you to dump it.”
More information about Arcology System can be found here.
