Waste must become raw material

There are more than 8 billion people in the world, and according to the UN, this number will increase to 9 billion in the next 15 years. Meeting the needs of a huge population, especially in the construction sector, is a challenge for the environment. Worse still, a linear economic model is dominant, which exacerbates negative environmental impacts – the demand for non-renewable raw materials is growing, and adequate natural resource management policies are lacking. The solution is circular economy.

There will be no raw materials

In the European Union, the construction sector is responsible for the consumption of about half of all extracted raw materials and nearly 35% of generated waste, so the need to take measures to limit the excessive exploitation of our planet's resources, especially in the case of the construction industry, is very urgent.

Being aware of the huge challenge of implementing circular economy in construction, scientists from the Silesian University of Technology in cooperation with the Polish Green Building Council (PLGBC) and the Green Building Council Iceland undertook the implementation of the CIRCON project: “Circular economy in construction: Eco-design of circular buildings.”

“We had two goals. The first one was to create a compendium of knowledge about designing buildings in accordance with the circular economy, that is, among other things, to develop an assessment mechanism – how to design buildings and how to assess whether what we designed is in line with the objectives of the circular economy” – explains prof Krzysztof Pikoń from the Department of Technologies and Installations for Waste Management at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, head of the project team at the Silesian University of Technology. – “The second goal was to disseminate knowledge about design among key stakeholders in construction.”

Science with business

In order to avoid a purely academic approach to the subject, an advisory group consisting of representatives of sustainable companies from the Polish and Icelandic construction industry, as well as scientific institutions involved in the development of circularity in construction was invited to cooperate. Thanks to this, the CIRCON project is a model example of combining science with business. The results of scientific research, under the influence of consultations with representatives from the construction industry, are prepared in a way that is understandable and easy to apply in practice. The publication is a kind of know-how for architects, builders or developers, a solution that is innovative, practical and – most importantly – has gained acceptance of the business environment. The compendium is available at www.circon.plgbc.org.pl

– “Natural resources are beginning to be scarce, and their consumption is huge, to imagine the scale take sand as an example. Every year around the world we consume about 10 billion tons of sand, which can be compared to a trench depth of 15 meters and a width of also 15 meters, which would be about 40 thousand kilometres long! These are gigantic quantities. It is certain that sand will eventually run out, so the answer is a circular economy, which is a holistic concept covering the entire life cycle of buildings.” - emphasizes prof. Pikoń.

Circular way of life

Circular economy is a model of the economy of the future, which strives for rational use of resources and reduces the negative impact of manufactured products on the environment. Unlike the linear model, the end of a product’s life means the beginning of a new one. There is no waste in circular economy model (GOZ), it becomes raw materials and circulates in a closed circuit for as long as possible.

– “In the case of construction, the role of the architect is crucial. The compendium contains a whole chapter devoted to the principles of design in accordance with the objectives of the GOZ, which are complementary to the UN climate goals. The buildings of the future must be designed in such a way that their functionality can be easily transformed, reused, and recycled. A building that is 100% circular, has not yet been built, that is the goal we are aiming for. In the publication we give a number of examples of very interesting buildings that can be easily adapted for other purposes” – says prof. Pikoń.