Tipping Point East: London’s largest circular construction hub opens in Newham

Joel de Mowbray, the mind behind Yes Make, has collaborated with Resolve Collective and Material Cultures to establish Tipping Point East (TPE) in Newham, a 20,000 sq metre site focused on circular construction. This facility recovers and certifies used building materials from renovation and demolition, offering them at prices as low as 10% of their commercial worth. TPE features a materials yard, a Material Store operated by Resolve, and bio-based research initiatives from Material Cultures. It also provides training and study tours to clarify construction processes. Founded in 2020, Yes Make emerged after de Mowbray's experience with a Lambeth council project, where he repurposed a 1980s electric milk float into a logging vehicle and salvaged 12 tonnes of timber. TPE has a five-year lease and aims to promote waste reduction and skill development, although it has rejected 10,000 fire doors due to insufficient certification training. De Mowbray likens the initiative to Dunkirk, emphasizing the need for numerous small projects to manage large-scale waste. The UK construction sector generates 62% of the nation’s waste, and despite having local resources like sequoias, the UK ranks as the third largest timber importer.