From circular strategies to actions: 65 European circular building cases and their decarbonisation potential

The application of the circular economy (CE) in the building industry is critical for achieving the carbon reduction goals defined in the Paris Agreement and is increasingly promoted through European policies. In recent years, CE strategies have been applied and tested in numerous building projects in practice. However, insights into their...

Circular Skin: Circular supply chains for housing renovation

Over the last years, humanity has realised that the current ways of production, distribution and consumption are putting an enormous burden on our planet. One of the most efficient ways to reduce energy consumption is to insulate the entire exterior of the house, including walls and roof, which has proven to be economically viable for areas with...

Universal Modular Building

This project has been about taking a first step towards developing a radically innovative circular building system, with the double goal of vastly reducing climatic impact of building construction, as well as strongly reducing costs to aid the current housing crisis. The first step in this project has been research into the reusability of...

Assessing circular buildings: A balance between circularity and life cycle costs of a building

Being one of the world’s largest waste generator, the construction industry is responsible for a train of events such as global warming, climate change, and depletion of natural resources. Materials are exhausted globally to a large extent and the waste produced in the process is not treated properly. A “take-make-dispose” or popularly known as...

When energy savings become a waste: How the environmental- and energy performance requirements of buildings can stimulate the building industry towards sustainable design of office facades in the Netherlands

The life cycle of a building has a tremendous impact on the environment. This is due to its energy demand, production and transportation of building materials, and its maintenance. Actually, the building industry is one of the most polluting industries that contribute to climate change. In the Netherlands alone, this sector is chargeable for 50%...