“Never Think Out of the Box”: Circular Architecture Pioneer Thomas Rau on Fostering Creative Thinking

Thomas M. Rau , the architect who designed the Netherlands Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, is also known as a visionary thinker of innovation. His ground-breaking concepts, such as "Product as a Service," where items like lighting and appliances are rented rather than sold, and "circular architecture," which circulates materials, have spread beyond industries. These ideas created a movement toward a circular economy, where limited resources are reused like books in a library.

How did Rau come up with these revolutionary ideas? And how can such ideas be brought to life? Rau uncovers the secrets on how to be creative.

“Optimizing” is not creative

“How to be creative? It’s very simple to answer. ‘Never think out of the box’.”

Rau said at the beginning of the interview. This is a surprising answer, since we often hear the message, “Think out of the box.”

He continued: “Firstly, you have to observe and know the essence of reality, and then, you think exactly the opposite. If you do something creative, mostly you are going in the exact opposite direction of the normal way of doing things. If you don't turn it around, you are just optimizing what is already there. But being creative means changing the existing reality, not optimizing it.”

Rau has long focused on “sustainability” in his work as an architect, but a turning point came 12 years ago, when he contracted scarlet fever for the second time at the age of 50.

“Having had a very heavy case of scarlet and a psychological reset, I began to think about transforming our economic system. For the previous 20 years, I had only optimized the current economic system by making it a little healthier, saving energy, and using less materials. But I realized that wasn't going to change anything.”

Renting Light: The Concept of 'Product as a Service'

The experiment to fundamentally transform the economic system began from his own office. He envisioned a way to design offices that would produce as little waste as possible in the future. This vision gave rise to the concept of "Light as a Service."

This business model allows users to utilize light as a service rather than owning the lighting equipment itself. Developed in collaboration with the electronics manufacturer Philips, it was commercialized as a subscription-based offering. Users pay a monthly fee for "X lumens of lighting service for X hours."

The manufacturer is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and energy costs of the lighting equipment, which leads to products that are more durable, easier to repair and maintain, and increasingly energy-efficient. Consumers can enjoy high-quality products with peace of mind, while manufacturers benefit from a stable, long-term cash flow. Additionally, products that reach the end of their service life are returned to the manufacturer and recycled into new products.

This brilliant business model, named the "TURNTOO Model" by Rau's consulting firm TURNTOO, has expanded across industries, including home appliance and apparel manufacturers. Washing machines, jeans, office furniture—under this model, a lot of business was born. It is not the products themselves but the performance (or service) they deliver that is sold. This embodies the concept of "Product as a Service."

Giving Materials Identity: The Path to a Circular Economy

Underlying this model is “liberation from ownership.” Consumers participate in an economic system where they rent products instead of purchasing.

In the traditional "linear economy," there is a value chain that flows from mines to suppliers, manufacturers, and finally to consumers, who have no choice but to discard the product when finished using it. However, Rau has created a chain that goes in the opposite direction, where the consumer returns the used product to the manufacturer, and the materials circulate from the manufacturer to the supplier, from the supplier to the raw material company.

“So, we run the economy like a library. In the future, people will rent things instead of owning them. Here, everyone is responsible for materials. It's ‘Material as a Service’.”

Rau pondered why people irresponsibly dispose of materials. He concluded that it was because materials had no identity. Flipping this perspective, he envisioned that "if materials are given an identity, people will take responsibility for them."

This gave rise to the concept of the "Material Passport." It records detailed information about all materials and components used in buildings or products, including their sources and recyclability. The goal is to enable the reuse or recycling of these materials when the building or product reaches the end of its lifecycle. By making the materials traceable, it also clarifies accountability for manufacturers and suppliers.

This concept evolved into an online platform called Madaster. All the materials used in the buildings are registered here, and the platform automatically calculates the monetary value of a building, reflecting the age and market value of the materials. Buildings with high recyclability are more valuable in transactions, so architects become more aware of renewability from the design stage. The use of Madaster is now expanded beyond the Netherlands to countries such as the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Austria.

Turning Ideas into Reality: Inspiration Lies in Other Industries

Rau's ideas are born from reverse thinking inside the box (reality). Having gotten a good idea, how does he bring these ideas to life?

“When I come up with a good idea, I talk to people about it. But not with those in my own industry—I discuss it with people from other industries, like finance, electronics, research, automotive, shipping, etc. Other sectors often do the opposite of what we do in the construction industry. I explore what knowledge they have and how they approach design," Rau answered.

As an example, Rau cited the design of a cruise ship: "In an ordinary building, the ceiling of the first floor and the floor of the second are doubled up. But if you look at this in a cruise ship cabin, the roof of the first floor becomes the floor of the second, eliminating waste. This approach can reduce the amount of material used in buildings."

He was also inspired by a manufacturer of roller coasters for mobile amusement parks. Since all equipment must be portable, reducing weight is essential. The steel used to construct roller coaster frameworks is designed to be as strong as possible while using minimal material.

He said, “In the construction industry, lots of materials are used to make more money, but in other industries I see a different mindset. We sit together and talk about the system, and if something pops-up, we write it down, discuss it further, and fix it.”

Exploring Art and History

In addition to engaging with people from various sectors, Rau emphasizes the importance of experiencing art as a key to fostering creativity. "Because if you look in the history of art, sometimes they start to materialize the future. You see that certain works were already depicting events 20 to 30 years ahead of their time. For me, art is like a small window -- a preview to the future."

According to him, understanding history is also essential for creativity. "Reality is permanent consequences of history. So, if you don’t know the history, it is very difficult to change reality."

Engaging with art and history helps to "cultivate irrational decisions—that is, intuition." He adds, "Our vision is a mixture of rational and irrational decision-making. The balance between these two is very important."

Embracing Vision and Finding Rhythm

Innovative ideas that challenge the status quo often face significant resistance. Rau's advocacy for a circular economy is no exception, as it requires fundamental change in existing laws, regulations, and business practices.

“Whatever people think about me, I don’t care. I do what I want to do. I don’t know if I get my target in this life, but I think this is a way. I had a very nice experience in Tibet. When I was struggling to climb up a mountain, I saw an old man walking, maintaining a steady rhythm and frequency. He invited me to walk together. I followed him, and I was able to walk without breath problems. That was a very nice moment in my life to realize that rhythm and frequency are very important to get to your target.”

Over the past 12 years, Rau has been slowly but steadily sharing his vision of the circular economy. People who would not have listened 10 years ago are now willing to pay to listen to his stories.

“I never want to convince people. Rather than directly telling people, 'You should do it,' I make them think that they are missing something, and let them know that I can provide that. If you can touch people's heart, they will naturally absorb it and generate their own energy to do it. This is much more authentic and has more genuine impact than trying to convince them.”

The Netherlands Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, designed by Rau, is made entirely of removable and reusable materials. It will be re-used elsewhere after the Expo is over. Understanding the stories behind his creation, you must feel the visionary philosophy of the pavilion with greater impact.

“Material Matters” written by Thomas Rau and Sabine Oberhuber. It explains more about their journey to the circular economy. The Japanese version is coming soon.