Broadcasting Tower, Leeds

In 2023, Unite Students Ltd commissioned the extensive refurbishment of Broadcasting Tower, a striking landmark within Leeds Beckett University. The 23-storey tower, originally completed in 2009 and winner of the Best Tall Building in the World award in 2010, required the replacement of ageing windows, glazed doors, and sections of curtain walling.

From the outset, the project had a clear goal: to align asset renewal with a circular economy approach, ensuring that valuable materials were not only recovered but recycled into new high-grade aluminium products.

A Circular Partnership

The refurbishment was delivered through close collaboration between@

• Client: Unite Students Ltd - national provider of student collaboration

• Architects: Hadfield Cawkwell Davison

• Fabricator: Fox Aluminium Systems Ltd

• Contractor: RG Group

• Building Systems House: TECHNAL UK

• Recycler: Norsk Hydro

This shared commitment to sustainability and circularity allowed all parties to align on goals, processes, and accountability.

Closing the Aluminium Loop

Traditionally, aluminium windows, doors, and facades at end-of-life are either sent to landfill or a general re-melt, which is downgraded into lower quality material with uncertain origins. The Broadcasting Tower project took a different path.

Through TECHNAL's closed loop process, aluminium frames removed during refurbishment were:

1. Collected and identified on-site - ensuring separation and no contamination with other materials and metals.

2. Sorted and screened - after shredding at one of Hydro's many recycling facilities, the aluminium chips are scanned and screened, ensuring that materials are sent to the correct recycling process. EPDM and polyamide is also sorted and sent to be recycled.

3. Remelted at Hydro's facilities - Following sorting, the aluminium is recycled and remelted into verifiable Hydro CIRCAL® billets which have the same quality as primary aluminium.

The result is post-consumer aluminium that has been transformed into new high-performance TECHNAL profiles with at least 75% recycled end-of-life content and a significantly lowered carbon footprint.

Why it Matters for Clients and Stakeholders

This project demonstrates that circular construction isn't theoretical - it's scalable, traceable, and commercially viable.

• Building Owners and Investors benefit from long-term asset value, improved insulation, and reduced environmental liabilities.

• Architects and Designers gain confidence that aesthetic and performance standards are met without compromise.

• Fabricators and Contractors can integrate closed-loop recycling into projects with full traceability and certification.

Key Outcomes

• End-of-life aluminium recovered rather than landfilled.

• High-grade recycled billets produced for future building applications.

• Improved building performance through modern, energy-efficient systems.

• Proof of circularity in action: the project exemplifies how urban mining can directly supply materials for the next generation of sustainable construction.

Future-Proofing Through Circular Design

The Broadcasting Tower refurbishment was not just about replacing windows and doors. It was about ensuring that today's improvements create tomorrow's resources. The new installations, made with TECHNAL products made with circular aluminium Hydro CIRCAL® 75R, are designed for energy-efficiency, durability, longevity, and eventual recovery at their own end-of-life, continuing the cycle of circular renovation in the future.