Decarbonization and Circular Economy in the Sustainable Development and Renovation of Buildings and Neighbourhoods

Mercader-Moyano, Pilar; Esquivias, Paula M.

doi:10.3390/su12197914

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The research reveals the importance of small-scale renovations that need to be carried out with limited financial resources. This affects many homes, also considering that 80% of the housing stock that will exist in Europe in 2050 has already been built, necessitating both current processes for the comprehensive rehabilitation of buildings and urban environments, based on interventions that use non-polluting solutions and products [46].…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Research Methodology for Mitigating Climate Change in the Restoration of Buildings: Rehabilitation Strategies and Low-Impact Prefabrication in the “El Rodezno” Water Mill

2021

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New environmental challenges, coupled with the fact that 80% of the residential buildings that will exist in Europe in the year 2050 have already been built, mean that rehabilitation and restoration must be prioritised over new buildings. Construction is one of the largest generators of CO2. Using prefabricated and industrialised products and systems can help to mitigate its harmful effects thanks to the greater control and environmental evaluation that can be carried out on these products from their manufacture until the end of their useful life (LCA). In the county of the Sierra de Cádiz (Andalusia, Spain), there are 85 water mills, many of which are derelict and in disuse, which, due to their location, size, and characteristics, are ideal for rehabilitation and restoration for residential use. Taking the “El Rodezno” mill as a case study, this paper proposes rehabilitation strategies using prefabricated industrialised elements that have a low environmental impact. The methodological discussion takes as its starting point the process of design and testing that Alvar Aalto applied in 1940 and from subsequent studies that have confirmed a research structure based on the project design and the built project with the appropriate field of study and confirmation of the applicable strategies and solutions. To this end, this article is written on the basis of the two main phases of Alvar Aalto’s method, using the same terms that the Danish architect defined: Scientific Observation, for the study of preceding works and projects in light prefabrication and for the analysis of certain construction products and systems that, based on other research, have evaluated their LCA, and Construction Period, for the rehabilitation strategies of the “El Rodezno” mill, considering the studies and analyses of Scientific Observation. For the roof solution, we took as an example the rehabilitation of the roof carried out with the same methodology, construction criteria, and prefabricated products analysed in this article and used in the intervention strategies in “El Rodezno”. The paper concludes with the validity of the methodology applied to test the starting hypotheses that lead to intervention strategies that confirm the environmental and economic advantages of industrialised prefabrication, the importance of the design and synergy that results from combining different construction systems, and technologies that improve the acceptance of prefabrication by the inhabitant and boost the circular economy.

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Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Research Methodology for Mitigating Climate Change in the Restoration of Buildings: Rehabilitation Strategies and Low-Impact Prefabrication in the “El Rodezno” Water Mill

2021

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“…By adopting particular CE strategies, savings may occur by creating proper systems to retain value and keep the resources flowing in a circular manner [45]. This approach would close materials and components, energy, and water loops and minimize the associated potential environmental impacts [46].…”

Section: Ce Strategies For Energy Materials and Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing Circular Economy Strategies in Buildings—From Theory to Practice

Rahla

Mateus

Bragança

2021

ASI

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Population growth, along with a rapid urban expansion, is imposing a heavy pressure on the planet’s finite resources. It is widely acknowledged that the building industry consumes large amounts of raw materials while generating waste and emissions. To set apart economic growth from environmental repercussions, the Circular Economy (CE) arose as an innovative paradigm that can offer a fast-track towards a sustainable built environment. This paper will tackle a research gap that academia and policymakers often highlighted, which is how can we apply CE to assets that are predominantly meant to be demolished and their resources wasted when they reach their end-of-life. Globally, the paradigm aims at erasing the waste concept, relying on renewable and regenerative sources, and keeping the materials, components, and systems in use at their highest value as long as possible. The concept’s implementation would attempt to consider the built environment as a closed-loop system wherein resources are viewed as a scarce commodity. Although the CE seems straightforward, translating the circular thinking to the building level might be a hardship. The following paper will attempt to shed light on how to promote CE in buildings that will ultimately lead to healthier, more efficient, and more sustainable cities on a broader scale. The proposed framework considers CE implementation strategies throughout the building’s lifecycle and mainly deals with three innovative aspects: wise resource management, building design approaches, and digitalization of the building industry. In this sense, this study will explore these game-changing factors that are considered paramount to concretize the concept in practice and provide a smooth pathway for CE uptake in buildings.

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“…Some of the objectives of this plan are to advance in the reduction of the use of non-renewable natural resources incorporating recycled content, promote the analysis of the life cycle of products and the incorporation of eco-design criteria, and favour the effective application of the principle of hierarchy of waste, promoting the prevention of its generation, encouraging reuse, and strengthening recycling. In addition, this plan is committed to promoting innovative forms of sustainable consumption, which include sustainable products and services, and to disseminating the importance of moving towards a circular economy [56,57]. In this context, looking for alternatives that minimize the extraction of raw materials, incorporate recycled materials, and reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions related to the manufacture of construction products is another way to move towards a circular building sector.…”

Section: Definition Of the Circular Economy Criteria In Emergency Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

Circular Economy and Regenerative Sustainability in Emergency Housing: Eco-Efficient Prototype Design for Subaşi Refugee Camp in Turkey

2021

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According to the most recent data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2020, 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced. In addition to this situation, in the developed world, building construction consumes 40% of the world’s material resources and primary energy, while the construction industry generates 35% of industrial waste and 40% of total global emissions. Therefore, the objective of the research is to propose an eco-efficient prototype for emergency housing, from the point of view of circular economy and regenerative sustainability, that can respond to situations of natural or humanitarian disasters. To achieve this, it will be necessary to identify the problem that must be answered and develop a theoretical model that will serve as a guide for future interventions of these characteristics. Finally, to verify the applicability of the developed protocol, a field work is executed in an unorganized settlement, Subaşi camp, located in Turkey. This research presents a novel prototype that could be used as an alternative to current emergency housing, not only responding adequately to the minimum standards of habitability, but also doing so in an eco-efficient, environmentally correct way and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and circular economy established in the 2030 Agenda.

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Decarbonization and Circular Economy in the Sustainable Development and Renovation of Buildings and Neighbourhoods

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

A Research Methodology for Mitigating Climate Change in the Restoration of Buildings: Rehabilitation Strategies and Low-Impact Prefabrication in the “El Rodezno” Water Mill

A Research Methodology for Mitigating Climate Change in the Restoration of Buildings: Rehabilitation Strategies and Low-Impact Prefabrication in the “El Rodezno” Water Mill

Implementing Circular Economy Strategies in Buildings—From Theory to Practice

Circular Economy and Regenerative Sustainability in Emergency Housing: Eco-Efficient Prototype Design for Subaşi Refugee Camp in Turkey

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