Ça circule ! is an interactive exhibition whose purpose is to activate circular design in Montréal. The exhibition, developed and designed by Rümker in collaboration with Montréal’s Bureau du design, is an initiative that aims to equip and mobilize design and architecture professionals.
The initiative is a practical means of raising awareness and prompting action, aimed at design, architecture and construction professionals as well as anyone eager to better understand circular-economy principles and incorporate them into their practice.
Today, design plays a decisive role when it comes to the environmental and social impacts of projects. As the text of the exhibition notes, “up to 80% of a project’s environmental footprint and 70% of its environmental and social costs are determined at the design phase.” Everything starts with the project design: in other words, design is not the finishing touch, but the tipping point where action can determine the course of events.
And yet, the tools of circularity have yet to be widely integrated into design and architecture practices. It is this gap between potential and implementation that Ça circule ! seeks to fill.
Designed to be an interactive, accessible and low-tech experience, the Ça circule ! exhibition route comprises analogue devices, clear content and hands-on tools. The exhibition is grounded in a simple premise: great ideas will not go very far unless they are supported by concrete strategies that are actionable right from the concept stage.
Through participatory modules, case studies and engaging questions, visitors are prompted to explore strategies that can be immediately applied to their own projects. The objective is clear: make circularity tangible and actionable, and show that things can be done differently, right now.
The exhibition also highlights the roles that local ecosystems must play in this transition. “Circularity and adaptive re-use are, by their very nature, profoundly local practices. Materials [...] circulate and the neighbourhood, worksite and studio level.” Promoting exchanges of ideas, networking and sharing of practices ensures that the concept will circulate!
Besides providing tools, the exhibition also prompts us to rethink our relationship to the project, urging us to “break away from the buy-new-whatever-the-cost mindset” and emphasizing the use of existing materials along with local resources and know-how.
A further key to this transformation is the adoption of a new esthetics of design that “acknowledges traces, visible assemblies and adaptations,” pointing the way to projects that are not only more sustainable, but also richer and more anchored in reality.
June to August 2026
Montréal Service du développement économique offices
85, rue Notre-Dame E., first floor, Montréal
Set up in the heart of the economic development commissioners’ offices, the exhibition is providing a tangible demonstration of circular economy applied to the Montréal territory. This iteration of Ça Circule ! is consistent with Montréal’s Three-Year Circular- Economy Action Plan 2025–2027 and aims to fuel conversations on local value chains, re-use, and business models incorporating circularity.
September 2026
Université de Montréal – Faculty of Environmental Design
2940, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal
In the Environmental Design Faculty building, a presentation will be given to students in interior design, with key notions conveyed through supporting materials drawn from the exhibition. This iteration seeks to raise awareness among emerging designers about the potential for re-use and to demonstrate how design choices directly influence resource life cycles, transformation and circulation.
November 2 to 29, 2026
Maison du développement durable
50, rue Sainte-Catherine O., Montréal
Vernissage on November 4, 2026
This presentation for the general public will expand the conversation beyond professional communities of practice. By highlighting the connections between design, climate, consumption and the circular economy, the exhibition will foster dialogue among citizens, organizations and change agents about the transformations needed to build more sustainable living environments.
January 2027
UQÀM School of Design
1415, rue Sanguinet, Montréal
This final stop on the exhibition’s Montréal circuit will serve as a launchpad for dialogue on the realities of the circular economy across the various design disciplines. A panel featuring experts from the fields of stage design and other design disciplines will address the challenges, opportunities and conditions required to sustainably integrate circularity into professional and creative practices.
April 30, 2026
Salon Index-Design
Grand Quay, Port of Montréal
The official launch of the exhibition was held as part of the premier event for design professionals in Québec. This initial presentation was accompanied by a panel discussion, “Pourquoi faire neuf quand on peut faire circulaire ? / Why build new when we can build circular?” Sébastien Beauregard (Surcy), Anne-Catherine Lebeau (Écoscéno) and Marie-Anne Miljours (Rümker) explored the potential of re-use and of new models for collaboration in accelerating the transition to circularity in the design and architecture sectors.
Complementing the exhibition, a number of tools have been made available to extend the experience and encourage action:
- A promotional video
- A PDF summary, designed to be a practical guide (to come)
- Pooling of lessons learned and data collected
These tools and data informing the discussion and documenting the progress of the practices will be made public via the Bureau du design’s Quality Toolkit.
Ça circule ! can be hosted by educational institutions, professional events or any other initiative seeking to raise awareness and generate engagement around circular design.
Rümker also invites organizations to book the exhibition and help circulate the content and practices within their networks. For information: @email
Research and content: Rümker
Module design and concept: Rümker
Writing: La Cursive
Graphic design and art direction: bureau60a
Video capture and editing: Olivier Roberge
This project was made possible with support from Government of Québec and the City of Montréal pursuant to the Entente de développement culturel, as part of the 3rd edition of the Developing a Stronger Design Culture, Together program.
