Reimagining construction through a ‘War on Waste’, Circato founders T Paul Koshy, Sushma Joseph and Praveen Crasta speak to CW on turning single-use plastic into high-performance building systems – demonstrated at Bengaluru International Airport with a 16-ft wall installed in just 48 hours.What specific gap in the construction ecosystem led to the creation of Circato?Sushma Joseph: We felt the industry had normalised inefficiency. In construction, timelines, costs and outcomes often remain uncertain, yet that is widely accepted. We wanted to show that inefficiencies can be measured and that there is a simpler, more efficient way to build. At its core, Circato is about ‘War on Waste’ – not only waste plastic, but also inefficiencies in construction.T Paul Koshy: We believe elegant, innovative building solutions can significantly reduce waste – of energy, resources, effort, time and, ultimately, cost.Praveen Crasta: We also saw a highly disjointed system despite the huge value of construction transactions. That led us to think beyond just material innovation and build digital systems around planning, measurement, cost and stakeholder alignment.In one line, what does Circato do – and who is your core user on a project?Crasta: Circato develops high-performance building envelope systems using single-use plastic-based material, supported by a digital layer that brings stakeholders onto one platform.Joseph: Our current core users are large corporates and commercial developers, especially those pursuing net-zero and LEED-certified buildings.What is your standout product or feature and how does it work in a live construction environment?Crasta: Our hero product is a hybrid external wall system that behaves like a brick wall but is installed like a curtainwall. It uses thermo-fused plastic sheets formed into I-beam-like panels, sandwiched with cement boards and finished with a fire-rated face material.The system is light, flat-packed and assembled through interlocking tongue-and-groove joints with fasteners and glue. It is designed to reduce heat transfer, lower HVAC loads and support multiple finishes, including glass.How does your solution integrate with existing workflows onsite without disrupting execution?Joseph: The system is factory-made and ready to install, almost like Lego or IKEA for structures. Teams can learn it quickly.Crasta: It is designed to fit into existing execution environments while reducing disruption. It is lightweight, noiseless, dust-free and can even continue through rainy conditions as the material itself is not affected by water.Can you share one project example where Circato delivered measurable impact?Crasta: One early project in Surat involved a 350-sq-ft, 1-BHK home on a private island. The entire construction was completed in seven days, including transport to site by boat and tractor, plus onsite layout changes. We also built an 800-sq-ft library in Gulbarga in 15 days with seven to eight people. At Bengaluru International Airport, we installed a 16-ft wall in Terminal 1 in roughly 48 hours, with minimal noise and dust.What has been your biggest challenge in driving adoption among contractors or site teams?Crasta: The biggest challenge has been validation infrastructure. Standards, labs and testing systems are built around brick-and-mortar materials, so qualifying a new product like ours has been difficult. Larger buyers ask where it has been certified, but the pathway is still unclear for many alternative materials.How adaptable is Circato across different project types – real estate, infrastructure and smaller contractors?Crasta: The solution is adaptable across homes, terrace spaces, boundary walls, sidewalks and hard-to-reach sites such as hilly regions.Koshy: We also see applications in defence and shifting labour camps because the panels can be dismantled and reassembled quickly.Joseph: Right now, we are entering the market through commercial and office spaces, where the value proposition is strongest. Scale should help reduce costs over time.What is one inefficiency in construction that technology still hasn’t solved?Joseph: The biggest unresolved inefficiency is the industry’s inability to precisely measure delays, cost overruns and waste, and act on them in a coordinated way.What is your long-term vision? Do you see Circato as a standalone tool or a larger construction tech platform?Crasta: We see Circato as a larger platform. We are building the product, the digital system, the standards and the process, and we want to replicate that through partners across cities.Joseph: At its core, we are not just building a company; we are trying to solve a problem.Koshy: The larger goal is also to reduce construction waste and create a circular system where panels can be dismantled, reused or recycled.