Circularity in the structural design: The implementation of circular design alternatives for the load-bearing structure in the preliminary design phase

Politicians, scientific researchers and companies all know; the transition to a Circular Economy [CE] should start now, or actually should have started yesterday. The CE is an economic system that replaces the current take-make-waste linear system and replaces this with the reduction, reuse and recovering of resources. The challenge is to build...

A sustainable and reusable concrete facade system: An approach to improve the use of concrete in the Dutch housing market

Concrete is one of the most used and energy-demanding materials in the world and unfortunately it is currently not being used optimally, while it has a long lifespan and the potential to be reused. Also, because the Netherlands has the ambition to build 1 million houses by 2030, it offers the opportunity to tackle the concrete in the Dutch...

Well-being for all: Using the theory of Consumer Wisdom to guide design that promotes the consumer, societal and environmental well-being

The aim of this thesis is to explore how designers can create well-being for all through product or service design. Well-being for all can be achieved through designing with the focus on Consumer Wisdom. Consumer Wisdom is defined as the pursuit of well-being for oneself and for others through mindful management of consumption-related choices...

Design for Product care: The development of a design tool for product lifetime extension

To realize the shift towards a Circular Economy, products should stay usable as long as possible. Maintaining products is the most efficient way of retaining their desired level of performance. This is called Product care. Product care can be understood as any action that helps to prolong the lifetime of a product. The aim of this thesis is to...