Circular Economy in Buildings

Abstract

This chapter is centred on waste management in buildings. It discusses the principles of applying circular economy in buildings toward resource efficiency with regard to the building sector. The study investigates a series of building assessments and reviews different aspects of energy efficiency as it relates to circular economy in buildings. It recommends the best practices to ensure the reuse and recycling of building components during and after the life of a building. The world is experiencing huge resource depletion and it is eminent to research the waste management practices in the building industry, Circular Economy offers major interventions in buildings which are explored in this chapter, another aspect of the discussion in this chapter is the design for disassembly and design for recycling under the concepts of circular economy.

Circular Material Usage Strategies and Principles in Buildings: A Review

“…In circular building practice, materials can be designed to remain in use for multiple cycles by following the 3R principles: reduce, reuse, recycle. "Reduce" refers to the reduction of consumption and waste generated, "reuse" includes the reuse of building products or material at the end of life, and "recycle" involves processing to break down and reproduce materials and new products [23]. There have been many iterations of the R principles that subdivide the 3 Rs into 14, 22, and even up to 38 Rs [24,25].…”