Towards a Circular Economy in the Built Environment: An Integral Design Framework for Circular Building Components

This paper examines the kitchen as one relevant part of the home that is highly affected by frequent replacements, renovations, and a short service life. The aim is to discern circular value opportunities for the built environment by examining stakeholder activities and the value proposition associated with Swedish kitchens. The paper answers the research question ‘Which aspects in stakeholders’ value proposition of kitchens might contribute to future circular housing design?’. The empirical material was collected through a workshop, interviews, and a focus group session. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis while applying value mapping as an analytical framework. Four opportunities for circularity were identified: (1) aligning spatial and product design for a circular economy, (2) considering end-user perspectives and demands, (3) formulating regulations informed by research, and (4) developing circular products and services through collaboration. While some of these opportunities have already been emphasised in previous literature, the most distinct contribution of this paper is that it reveals the importance of spatial parameters when transitioning towards a circular housing design. The methods and results of this paper may be adapted to various building components to create a system-level circular economy in the built environment.

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Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Allocation Approach for Circular Economy in the Built Environment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229579 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9579

Author(s):

Leonora Charlotte Malabi Eberhardt ◽

Anne van Stijn ◽

Freja Nygaard Rasmussen ◽

Morten Birkved ◽

Harpa Birgisdottir

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Built Environment ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Closed Loop ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Multiple Use ◽

Closed Loop Systems ◽

Timber Column ◽

Building Components

Transitioning the built environment to a circular economy (CE) is vital to achieve sustainability goals but requires metrics. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can analyse the environmental performance of CE. However, conventional LCA methods assess individual products and single life cycles whereas circular assessment requires a systems perspective as buildings, components and materials potentially have multiple use and life cycles. How should benefits and burdens be allocated between life cycles? This study compares four different LCA allocation approaches: (a) the EN 15804/15978 cut-off approach, (b) the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF), (c) the 50:50 approach, and (d) the linearly degressive (LD) approach. The environmental impacts of four ‘circular building components’ is calculated: (1) a concrete column and (2) a timber column both designed for direct reuse, (3) a recyclable roof felt and (4) a window with a reusable frame. Notable differences in impact distributions between the allocation approaches were found, thus incentivising different CE principles. The LD approach was found to be promising for open and closed-loop systems within a closed loop supply chain (such as the ones assessed here). A CE LD approach was developed to enhance the LD approach’s applicability, to closer align it with the CE concept, and to create an incentive for CE in the industry.

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A Holistic Strategy for Successful Photovoltaic (PV) Implementation into Singapore’s Built Environment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116452 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6452

Author(s):

Vesna Kosorić ◽

Siu-Kit Lau ◽

Abel Tablada ◽

Monika Bieri ◽

André M. Nobre

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Design Principles ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Structural Safety ◽

Local Context ◽

Design Framework ◽

Holistic Strategy

Based on the findings from a recent study by the authors which examined factors affecting diffusion of photovoltaics (PV), while comprehensively considering the local PV and construction industry as well as characteristics of the built environment, this paper proposes a holistic strategy for PV implementation into Singapore’s built environment. It consists of (1) a multilevel mechanism framework, encompassing eleven mechanism categories of instruments and activities and (2) a general design framework including design principles, general project instructions and the main design guidelines. Relying on a survey conducted among PV experts on established mechanisms, the present study suggests that building codes (e.g., fire safety, structural safety, etc.) and initiatives and incentives related to PV/building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) should be the highest priority for authorities, followed by assessment of BIPV/PV properties, working toward social acceptance, conducting research projects and information exchange, and education and training activities. Considering all three pillars of sustainability, the design framework is based on the following interrelated design principles: (1) compatibility and coherence with the local context, (2) technical soundness, (3) economic viability, (4) user-centered design, (5) connecting with community and socio-cultural context, and (6) adaptability and flexibility. Despite Singapore’s scarcity of land, the established design guidelines cover a wide spectrum of solutions, including PV integration into both buildings and non-building structures. The synthesis of the two interconnected and inseparable frameworks aims to create an environment conducive to long-term widespread PV integration and stimulate the deployment of BIPV, which should help Singapore and other cities reduce their dependency on imported fossil fuels, while also making them more livable and enjoyable.

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Circular Digital Built Environment: An Emerging Framework

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116348 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6348

Author(s):

Sultan Çetin ◽

Catherine De Wolf ◽

Nancy Bocken

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Blockchain Technology ◽

Digital Twins ◽

Starting Point ◽

Building Information ◽

Framework Development

Digital technologies are considered to be an essential enabler of the circular economy in various industries. However, to date, very few studies have investigated which digital technologies could enable the circular economy in the built environment. This study specifically focuses on the built environment as one of the largest, most energy- and material-intensive industries globally, and investigates the following question: which digital technologies potentially enable a circular economy in the built environment, and in what ways? The research uses an iterative stepwise method: (1) framework development based on regenerating, narrowing, slowing and closing resource loop principles; (2) expert workshops to understand the usage of digital technologies in a circular built environment; (3) a literature and practice review to further populate the emerging framework with relevant digital technologies; and (4) the final mapping of digital technologies onto the framework. This study develops a novel Circular Digital Built Environment framework. It identifies and maps ten enabling digital technologies to facilitate a circular economy in the built environment. These include: (1) additive/robotic manufacturing, (2) artificial intelligence, (3) big data and analytics, (4) blockchain technology, (5) building information modelling, (6) digital platforms/marketplaces, (7) digital twins, (8) the geographical information system, (9) material passports/databanks, and (10) the internet of things. The framework provides a fruitful starting point for the novel research avenue at the intersection of circular economy, digital technology and the built environment, and gives practitioners inspiration for sustainable innovation in the sector.

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Circular Economy Strategies in Eight Historic Port Cities: Criteria and Indicators Towards a Circular City Assessment Framework

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11133512 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (13) ◽

pp. 3512 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Antonia Gravagnuolo ◽

Mariarosaria Angrisano ◽

Luigi Fusco Girard

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Evaluation Criteria ◽

Sustainable Urban Development ◽

City Region ◽

Port Cities ◽

Criteria And Indicators ◽

Ex Post ◽

Life Cycle Perspective ◽

Circular Design

The circular city is emerging as new concept and form of practice in sustainable urban development. This is a response to the complex and pressing challenges of urbanization, as highlighted in the New Urban Agenda (NUA). The concept of a “circular city” or “circular city-region” derives from the circular economy model applied in the spatial territorial dimension. It can be associated with the concept of a “self-sustainable” regenerative city, as stated in paragraph n.71 of the NUA. This paper aims to develop an extensive form of “screening” of circular economy actions in emerging circular cities, focusing on eight European historic port cities self-defined as “circular”. The analysis is carried out as a review of circular economy actions in the selected cities, and specifically aims to identify the key areas of implementation in which the investments in the circular economy are more oriented, as well as to analyze the spatial implications of the reuse of buildings and sites, proposing a set of criteria and indicators for ex-ante and ex-post evaluations and monitoring of circular cities. Results show that the built environment (including cultural heritage), energy and mobility, waste management, water management, industrial production (including plastics, textiles, and industry 4.0 and circular design), agri-food, and citizens and communities can be adopted as strategic areas of implementation of the circular city model in historic cities, highlighting a lack of indicators in some sectors and identifying a possible framework for “closed” urban metabolism evaluation from a life-cycle perspective, focusing on evaluation criteria and indicators in the (historic) built environment.

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Steel: friend or foe in the face of the climate emergency?

10.2749/ghent.2021.0175 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Walter Swann ◽

Francois Hanus ◽

Olivier Vasart ◽

Alan Knight

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Circular Economy ◽

High Potential ◽

If Steel ◽

Embodied Carbon ◽

The World ◽

The Face ◽

Zero Carbon ◽

Recycled Material

<p>Steel is the most recycled material in the world and a key contributor to the circular economy, but todays primary steelmaking methods result in high embodied carbon. In the face of the climate emergency, designers have been tasked with driving down the upfront emissions of the built environment. Naturally the embodied carbon characteristics of all materials have been put under the microscope and those with high impacts are being demonised, primary steel is one of those. So how does a designer balance the immediate needs of the climate emergency with the future needs of society? When confronted with a material like steel with practically perfect circularity characteristics but high embodied impacts how do designers balance the needs of today with those of tomorrow? What if steel could be made with zero carbon emissions? Coupled with its high potential for re-use and its high recycling rates is steel a friend and ally in the face of the climate emergency rather than a foe?</p>

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The future of the circular economy and the circular economy of the future

Built Environment Project and Asset Management ◽

10.1108/bepam-07-2019-0063 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 529-546

Author(s):

Ricardo Weigend Rodríguez ◽

Francesco Pomponi ◽

Ken Webster ◽

Bernardino D'Amico

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Theoretical Background ◽

Futures Studies ◽

Alternative Futures ◽

Content Type ◽

Economic Paradigm ◽

The Future ◽

Bibliometric Review ◽

Practical Implications

PurposeThe circular economy (CE) has gained momentum in recent years as a new economic paradigm. While the CE sets a very defined vision for a sustainable future, it still operates in the present. As such, existing guidance on and research into the CE lack a necessary understanding of how to go from the present to the future. What if the future is different from what the CE expects? The CE cannot answer this question adequately and therefore is not capable of developing this understanding alone. To address this shortcoming, this paper proposes futures studies (FS) as a complementary discipline because it offers exactly what CE lacks: methods to explore alternative futures.Design/methodology/approachTo understand the level of interdisciplinary research in the built environment between CE and FS, a systematic literature review is carried out using a bibliometric review and a snowballing technique. This manuscript reviews seminal literature in both fields and their theoretical background.FindingsThis paper demonstrates the lack of collaboration between CE and FS and highlights a systemic failure within CE, which is to consider the future as unknowable. It further provides an initial understanding of where the synergy sits, recommendations on where to start and introduces some of the FS chief methods that could be used by CE in the built environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ bibliometric review and snowballing approach might have missed out on some literature that still falls within the scope. Such limitations are due, on one hand, to the authors’ bibliometric review approach by selecting publications based on matching keywords. On the other hand, the snowballing approach is affected by the authors’ subjective judgements on which of the publications are worth to explore based mainly just on the title and abstract of the paper.Practical implicationsThe inclusion of Futures Studies will allow a stronger focus on approaching possible futures to be integrated overtly into existing work, research and action within the CE community.Social implicationsIt is more reasonable to expect that by cooperatively creating and implementing constructed futures with FS methods and CE principles, a better future for the built environment be reached. This is why it is so relevant for humanity that these two communities start to interact as soon as possible and maintain and open and productive collaboration in transitioning towards a sustainable society.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first of its kind by considering FS into the CE debate.

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