The future of material re-use in our cities
with HS2 and Mace Dragados
Major construction projects generate vast amounts of waste — much of it with potential for reuse. HS2 and the Mace Dragados Joint Venture wanted to explore how construction materials could be better repurposed, while building stronger relationships with local creative and cultural organisations around the Curzon Street Station site in Birmingham.
Our approach
We designed and facilitated an open innovation process that brought materials specialists, construction engineers, and creative practitioners together to rethink waste. Using a mix of systems mapping, co-design, and hands-on experimentation, we helped participants share knowledge, uncover barriers in current waste systems, and co-develop new pathways for reuse.
To make collaboration accessible and effective, we created a practical toolkit to guide the process, a shared language that allowed specialists from very different worlds to think together and move quickly from discussion to making.
“The perfect blend of energy, fun, information and participation. Vita and Paddy have a special way of lighting the fuse to get ideas started. I came away feeling inspired and excited to get going and make change happen”
— Tom James
Associate Surveyor
Hollis
Over several weeks, we worked with ten creative partners representing two Birmingham-based organisations. Together, they explored materials from the Curzon Street site, identified opportunities for reuse, and developed system blueprints showing how waste could flow differently through the construction process. Through creative prototyping, they transformed waste materials into physical outcomes and tangible proof of what can happen when industry and the creative sector collaborate.
“The workshops developed by When it Clicks opened new doors to new opportunities and systems. The design sprint format was a great way to convene everyone and focus minds and creativity, enabling the group to share insights and expertise together”
— Lousie Trodden
Arts Consultant
HS2
— Lousie Trodden
Arts Consultant
HS2
Impact of the work
The project built new bridges between HS2, Mace Dragados, and Birmingham’s creative communities. It generated actionable insights into how waste can be repurposed, improved understanding of the systems that produce it, and left participants with new skills in collaborative design and circular thinking. Several of the physical demonstrators are now informing ongoing waste management practices on-site.
Our role
We provided the structure, energy, and clarity to make collaboration work between organisations that speak very different languages. We created a process that was practical and open, helping specialists and creatives see problems from each other’s perspectives and generate ideas they could actually use. Our role was to act as facilitators, translators, and critical friends, making sure the innovation didn’t stay theoretical but led to real change on the ground.
Rethinking waste materials at HS2
Open innovation that built new bridges between HS2, Mace Dragados, and creative communities.
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Reorganising a siloed team at WM Police
Systems thinking that gave teams a renewed sense of clarity, confidence, and purpose.
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Designing local projects at Solihull Council
Co-design to create a framework for developing local decarbonisation projects.
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