Purpose
Global megatrends such as urbanization and ageing of the population result in fast-paced demographic changes, which pose different types of challenges for different regions. While many rural municipalities bear the burden of under-used buildings, cities are in a hurry to develop new ones to meet new space demands. The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential of relocatable modular buildings to address these challenges, following the principles of circular economy, while at the same time offering usability.

Design/methodology/approach
This multiple case study explores existing relocatable modular health-care buildings in Finland. The case buildings host hospital support functions, imaging services, a health-care centre and a care home. The primary data comprise 21 semi-structured interviews and observation during factory and site visits.

Findings
Based on the findings, relocatable modular buildings have many benefits and provide a viable option for cities and municipalities struggling to meet their fluctuating space demands. Some challenges were also identified, mainly derived from the dimensional restrictions of the modules.

Originality/value
This research contributes to the emerging body of knowledge on circular economy in the built environment. More specifically, the research provides a very concrete example of circularity and details a framework for usable and relocatable modular buildings. In conclusion, relocatable modular buildings could solve the challenges posed by quickly changing demographics in different types of regions and deliver both usability and circularity.

Western societies are currently facing major demographic changes, due to phenomena such as urbanization, ageing of the population, and migration. The changes place a lot of pressure on public services, and consequently on facilities, including schools, day-care centres, and health care facilities. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of modular facility solutions
to respond to these demographic changes and related facility needs in municipalities. The study focuses on a case study of one Finnish hospital campus, where leased, modular facilities are in use. The facilities are analysed in from the perspective of usability. The study utilizes semistructured interviews of producer representatives and end-users. Observations during site and factory visits comprise complimentary data. Based on the findings, the modular facilities of the case study are restricted in height, width, and length, which impose some functional limitations. Regardless, the facilities were found usable in their current use. In addition to size and technical limitations, short lease periods and the expected reuse of the leased facilities were found to limit customization. Interestingly, issues such as architectural quality, were irrelevant to the users.
Instead, the users values workplace comfort and support of work activities, which the modular facilities support. More collaboration between producers, end-users, and municipal decision makers, is encouraged to further enhance usability through an appropriate level of customization of the modular facilities.