The Potential for Circular Building Reuse

Abstract

Natural resources are being consumed too fast, and the built environment is a big contributor to this problem. The circular economy aims at extending a product’s lifecycle using different strategies, for example reuse. Within the academic field of building reuse, there are several tools developed that define the building reuse potentials. Similarly, in the field of circularity, several design strategies discuss the implementation of circular building methods in the construction of buildings. Nevertheless, there is a research gap in the academic literature on the implementation of circular building methods for the building reuse process of existing buildings, especially for the early stages in this process. To fill this gap, this research will present an integrated circular building reuse framework. This study is conducted within the organization of the Netherlands Police, providing information on the experienced barriers of implementing circular ambitions within the organization. The aim of this research is to provide tools to formulate realistic and feasible objectives and ambitions. This, in turn, enhances the probability that circular ambitions are effectively integrated throughout the building process, thereby contributing to the long-term value of the built environment. The main research question to accomplish this aim is: “Which conditions are essential for effective circular building reuse, and how can these be integrated into a decision-making framework for the pre-project phase of building reuse?”. This research question will be answered using a combination of a literature review, expert interviews within the organization of the Netherlands Police, and desk research, and the framework is validated using a case study. The results section of this research addresses the retrieved data from the interviews with the experts from the Netherlands Police. This data, in combination with the previously gathered data from the literature review, will be combined to develop the CBR framework. The CBR framework supports the decision-making process in the pre-project phase on whether to reuse a building or not, and assists in appointing the project-specific potentials for circular reuse. Therefore, it bridges the research gap in academic literature on the implementation of circular building methods for the reuse of existing buildings.