The growing need to shift from a linear to a circular economy has inspired producers of building materials and systems to innovate their products to match the requirements of a future circular economy. Others have been developing modular systems in the past to simplify the building process and are now reconsidering these products for their potential in a circular economy. However, at this early stage on the road towards a circular economy, claims of circularity are often made too easily and many producers as well as architects and builders are still struggling with the practice of circular building. In this context and within an assignment for master students in architecture, three cavity walls, each 9m2 and composed with a different system for the inner and the outer wall, have been constructed and disassembled in order to test their potential for circularity. The extent of circularity has been critically analysed with an existing framework of evaluation criteria for design for change: three criteria on interface level (reversibility, simplicity, speed), three on component level (compatibility, durability, manageability) and three on composition level (independence, pace-layering, prefabrication). This analysis was complemented with an environmental assessment of the materials used and with interviews with contractors who have experience with these systems. In a final step, proposals for improvement of the products and systems have been made and tested on a mockup scale, in order to better fit a possible future circular economy.

The transition to a circular economy (CE) offers an alternative path to the current high-polluting and wasteful practices in construction. However, this transition will require a drastic shift from the way products and services are designed, produced, and used, also in the architecture and construction industry. This paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge of novel methodologies to integrate CE into architectural design and wood construction education. This paper analyses the 2021-22 edition of the Circular Building Seminar at UHasselt in the Faculty of Architecture and Arts. In this study, we first provide a brief introduction to the course mission and its approach. Then we describe in-depth the 2021-22 winter semester assignment of urban harvesting and the role of wood in it. At the end, we evaluate and discuss the outcomes of the course, its relevance as well as possibilities for improvement in the next editions.

PurposeThe paper aims to elaborate on the potential for regeneration of Bagamoyo (Tanzania) through adaptive reuse of its heritage sites. The town was the most important harbour for ivory and slaves of the East-African mainland during the 19th and early 20th century and the colonial capital of German East-Africa between 1885 and 1890. Today, it has 85,000 inhabitants who mainly live in informal settlements while stone town closer to the coast is largely abandoned with its historical buildings in a poor state of conservation.Design/methodology/approachThe first part of the paper describes the history and heritage of the old stone town Bagamoyo, and how it impacts its identity. Additionally, it summarises the critical reception of the town's role in the application to UNESCO World Heritage for “The Central Slave and Ivory Trade Route”. This, in order to consider the reuse of its heritage sites more as part of a layered regeneration process than of a singular narrative for preservation. The second part presents research-by-design proposals investigating the economic, social and cultural potentialities of three spatial layers: the main street, the coastal strip and the shoreline.FindingsThe identity and therefore also urban regeneration of post-colonial towns such as Bagamoyo is the result of a complex combination of different narratives rather than of a singular one.Originality/valueBagamoyo's heritage has been studied as a driver for international tourism linked to slavery but without successful implementation. This study proposes an alternative perspective by investigating its potential for urban regeneration in line with local needs. Developed in the context of a master studio of architectural design, it presents an innovative didactic approach. Moreover, the methodology of research-by-design can be inspirational for other historical towns.

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