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Buildings as Material Banks: Integrating Materials Passports with Reversible Building Design to Optimise Circular Industrial Value Chains

Following the linear economic approach in the building sector is resulting in avoidable waste and resource depletion. The BAMB project has developed tools inspired by the circular economy, at levels not previously possible.

According to Eurostat, the European built environment is responsible for around 40 % of our energy consumption, 35 % of total GHG emissions, 50 % of resource extraction and 33 % of waste production.

One of the principal causes of this is poor building design, coupled with the traditional linear economic model of: produce-use-dispose. Consequently, with only one end-use in mind, following economic or social change, buildings often end up vacant. This in turn leads to demolition, or complex and expensive renovation or repurposing work, generating considerable waste.

The EU-funded BAMB project took a more circular economy approach, firstly by innovating building design to be more adaptable to changing contexts and so expanding its lifespan. Secondly, by ensuring that buildings can be dismantled, with their materials reused and upcycled.

The Innovation Action project developed methodologies and tools to realise its Buildings as Material Banks vision, with testing in six actual-scale construction and refurbishment pilots, demonstrating utility for waste reduction efforts.

Real world ready methodologies and tools

“Key to supporting a circular economy is maintaining the highest possible value of buildings and materials, over their whole life-cycle, and where possible multiple life-cycles,” says project coordinator Dr Caroline Henrotay. “It’s important not only to design buildings and products in a reversible way, but also to know what valuable materials are in the building.”

To achieve this, the team worked across the European value network to conduct a needs analysis leading to the development of appropriate concepts, methodologies and tools, currently in use.

The resultant Reversible Building Design Protocol maximises the transformation and reuse potential of buildings and their components, while Materials Passports provide information about materials in products and/or systems and their present value for use, recovery and reuse. The Circular Building Assessment tool supports integrated decision making in favour of circular and dynamic buildings by taking into account buildings’ reversibility, environmental impact and life-cycle costing.

Six BAMB pilots across Europe were conducted to test these tools using feasibility studies and prototyping and in construction itself. “Based on prototyping results, the tools and methodologies resulted in a 75-90 % construction waste reduction, with GHG emissions consequently also decreased,” says Dr Henrotay.

In the case of one pilot, it was calculated that two building transformations, made possible through reversible building design, would save 50 % C02 equivalent. Indeed, the pilots surpassed the target of 10-20 % fewer virgin resources used (using up to 78 % fewer).

From chain to network

BAMB’s work contributes to the EU’s implementation of the 2050 Low-Carbon Roadmap and the EU Circular Economy Package. Additionally, its strategies and tools support the transition from waste management to waste prevention, as developed in the revised Waste Framework Directive.

“BAMB offers an integrated approach across the whole life-cycle, from the building level to product and material level, based on measurable indicators and quantitative assessment tools,” says Dr Henrotay.

The team are currently developing a more user-friendly version of the Reversible Building Design tools and testing the Circular Building Assessment tool in beta software.

However, it was decided not to pursue further development of the Materials Passports Platform in acknowledgement of the fact that an addition to those co-existing could cause confusion. Instead, the team will collaborate with others, such as Luxembourg’s Ministry of Economy, to develop a much needed standardised data set.

Keywords
BAMB, circular economy, buildings, reuse, upcycle, sustainability, waste, demolition, reversible, green, design

Reference source: Buildings as Material Banks: Integrating Materials Passports with Reversible Building Design to Optimise Circular Industrial Value Chains

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