Nexii

Despite the growing need for innovation in the face of climate change, the built environment has largely been slow to adapt. One major factor is the perception that environmentally responsible building solutions come with too many trade-offs to be worthwhile.

Yet, innovations are emerging that prove this perception is false. Circular building solutions aren't just good for the environment, but they also provide improved efficiency, consistency, and quality.

We spoke with Audrey Pinkerton, Chief Executive Officer at Nexii, about how this organization is using its low-carbon material and prefabricated panel system to make construction projects more efficient and sustainable.

What inspired your founders to start Nexii and engage in circularity?

Nexii’s founders recognized that the built environment is responsible for a significant share of global carbon emissions, resource consumption, and landfill waste. And yet, construction practices have remained largely unchanged for decades. There was a clear disconnect between the scale of the challenge and the pace of innovation.

What inspired us was the belief that construction could be fundamentally reimagined. Instead of continuing with linear, resource-intensive processes, there was an opportunity to apply advanced materials, precision manufacturing, and systems thinking to create buildings that are more efficient, have a lower carbon footprint, and are far less wasteful.

Circularity is deeply embedded in that vision. From the outset, the goal wasn’t just to reduce impact incrementally but to rethink how buildings are designed, produced, and ultimately valued across their life cycle. By developing a proprietary building material and pairing it with prefabricated, factory-based construction, Nexii created a system that inherently reduces material waste, improves quality, and offers greater control over environmental outcomes.

Our founders were motivated by the idea that buildings could—and should—be part of the solution to climate change. Circularity provides a framework for that transformation: designing structures that use fewer resources, last longer, and can eventually be adapted, reused, or repurposed instead of discarded.

How do you think circular solutions will benefit the built environment, communities, and the world?

Circular solutions have the potential to reshape not only how we build, but how we think about the built environment as a whole. Today’s dominant model is fundamentally linear: extract raw materials, manufacture components, construct buildings, and eventually demolish them—often sending the majority of materials to the landfill. Circularity challenges that paradigm by emphasizing efficiency, longevity, and reuse at every stage.

For the built environment, this translates into significantly lower embodied carbon and reduced construction waste. By optimizing materials and shifting more work into controlled manufacturing environments, we can dramatically improve precision and limit inefficiencies. Over time, circular design principles also allow buildings to function as “material banks,” where components retain value and utility beyond a single use.

For communities, the benefits are more immediate and tangible. Prefabricated, low-waste construction reduces on-site disruption—less noise, less dust, and shorter project timelines. That translates into a better experience for nearby residents and businesses. In addition, using cleaner materials and processes contributes to healthier indoor environments, which can improve occupant wellbeing.

On a global level, circular solutions are essential to addressing climate change and resource scarcity. The construction sector consumes vast amounts of raw materials and generates enormous waste. Transitioning to circular models reduces pressure on natural resources, minimizes landfill use, and lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Importantly, it also aligns sustainability with economic performance by reducing inefficiencies across the building life cycle.

Over time, circular design principles also allow buildings to function as “material banks,” where components retain value and utility beyond a single use.

Ultimately, circularity enables a more resilient built environment—one that can adapt to changing needs while reducing its environmental footprint.

What do you consider to be your biggest success in advancing the circular economy in the built environment? Can you share any stories of impact your work has had that have surprised you?

One of Nexii’s most significant achievements has been demonstrating that sustainable, circular-aligned construction is not only possible but scalable and commercially viable.

For many years, there has been a perception that environmentally responsible building solutions come with trade-offs in cost, speed, or design flexibility. Nexii has helped challenge and shift that narrative.

Through our prefabricated building system and proprietary material, we have delivered projects that reduce waste, lower embodied carbon, and accelerate construction timelines. Moving much of the construction process off-site into a controlled manufacturing environment enables greater consistency and efficiency, while also minimizing the variability and waste that often occur on traditional job sites.

What’s particularly impactful is the way these benefits resonate with clients. Many organizations initially engage with Nexii because they are looking for faster delivery or more predictable outcomes. But as projects progress, they begin to see the broader advantages: reduced environmental impact, improved quality, and alignment with their own sustainability goals.

Some of the most meaningful moments come from that shift in perspective. When stakeholders realize that circular and low-carbon solutions can enhance rather than hinder project outcomes, it creates momentum for wider adoption. In this way, each successful project becomes a proof point that helps move the industry forward.

What are some of the challenges you typically face working to advance the circular economy, especially within the built environment?

Driving change in the construction industry comes with a unique set of challenges, many of which are structural. One of the most significant is industry inertia. Construction has long relied on established methods, materials, and supply chains, and there is often a natural resistance to change, particularly when projects involve large investments and tight timelines.

Regulatory frameworks can also present obstacles. Building codes and standards are essential for safety and performance, but they don’t always evolve at the same speed as innovation. Introducing new materials or systems can require additional validation, testing, and education to gain acceptance.

Another challenge is the perception of cost. While circular approaches often deliver strong value over the full life cycle of a building, upfront costs remain a primary decision factor for many developers and owners. Bridging that gap requires clearer communication of life cycle benefits and, in some cases, new financial models that better capture long-term value.

There is also the complexity of coordinating across the value chain. Circular solutions require alignment between designers, manufacturers, contractors, and owners, each of whom may have different priorities or levels of familiarity with these approaches. Education and collaboration are essential to ensure everyone is working toward the same goals.

Despite these challenges, the trajectory is encouraging. As more successful case studies emerge and awareness grows, barriers begin to diminish, and adoption becomes easier.

Are there any upcoming initiatives, projects, trends, or advancements related to your work you'd like to share?

There are several trends that are creating strong tailwinds for circularity and for Nexii’s approach. One of the most important is the continued rise of prefabrication and industrialized construction. These methods enable greater efficiency, improve quality control, and significantly reduce waste—all of which are foundational to circularity.

Another key trend is the growing focus on embodied carbon. Historically, much of the attention in sustainable building has been on operational energy use. Today, there is increasing recognition that the materials and construction phases represent a substantial portion of a building’s total carbon footprint. This shift is driving demand for low-carbon materials and systems.

We are also seeing advancements in digital tools and material traceability. Technologies that allow stakeholders to track materials, understand life cycle impacts, and make data-driven decisions are critical enablers of circularity. Over time, these tools will help create greater transparency and accountability across the industry.

Finally, there is growing alignment between policy, market demand, and investment. Governments, corporations, and investors are increasingly prioritizing sustainability, which is helping accelerate the adoption of innovative building solutions.

For Nexii, these trends reinforce the importance of continuing to scale manufacturing capacity, refine our technology, and collaborate with partners to bring circular solutions to more projects and markets.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the circular economy over the next decade, and how do you envision contributing to this vision? How can other individuals and organizations help support your mission and/or advance circularity in the built environment?

Looking ahead, we see a future where circular principles are embedded in every stage of the building life cycle, from design and material selection to construction, operation, and eventual reuse. In that future, buildings are no longer treated as disposable assets but as long-term repositories of valuable materials.

We envision a shift toward designing for disassembly, where building components can be easily recovered and reused at the end of their initial life. We also anticipate that low-carbon materials will become the standard rather than the exception, supported by stronger policies, better data, and increased market demand.

Digitalization will play a key role as well. The ability to track materials and measure life cycle performance will enable more informed decision-making and unlock new business models tied to circularity.

Achieving our vision will require collaboration across the entire ecosystem. Developers and asset owners can lead by prioritizing circular solutions in their projects. Architects and engineers can integrate circular design principles from the outset. Policymakers can create regulatory frameworks and incentives that support innovation. Contractors can adopt new methods that reduce waste and improve efficiency. And investors can continue to support scalable technologies that accelerate change.

At Nexii, our role is to demonstrate that this future is not only achievable but already underway. By continuing to deliver high-performance, low-carbon, and more circular building solutions at scale, we aim to help redefine what’s possible in the built environment and inspire transformation across the industry.