Research
For two years (2020 - 2021), CBBW will bridge the gap between research and practice. Our team consists of practicing architects, contractors and technicians. We will build a case study house to test circular design principles and construction methodes within the boundaries of an existing context: the wishes of a client, a limited budget, urban development rules, and energetic, structural and technical requirements.
Practice
Linear
Circular
Affordable Living
To transform our wasteful, linear economy to a circular one, we need to make circular building affordable for as many people as possible. This is why the cost of construction and ownership will be taken into account.
The European construction sector is responsible for about 50% of extracted raw materials and almost 40% of the total amount of waste.
Today our economy is linear : we extract, process and consume. In the end, we the materials used in our products and building are lost.
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The circular economy is based in large part on biological and technological cycles. The concept of 'waste' does not exist here. There are only biological (compostable) or technological (reusable) components. This way, our raw materials remain endlessly available. In addition, only components without harmful substances are used, otherwise they would not be fit for reuse.
The circular economy is an important part of the answer to today's sustainability issue.
Circular Building
- "How to reduce construction waste", Brussels Environment
When building for the circular economy, buildings are regarded as material banks. A circular building is designed and constructed in such a way that it can be taken apart after use into elements that can be reused afterwards. This way, no new materials have to be mined.
Making the circular economy real is only possible when we all work together. That is why this project wants to share learned lessons and insights as much as possible. The team is documenting extensively the construction of the case study house on the timeline. You will see every construction fase in detail, making circular building very real. We also share with you the construction drawings, studies about the affordability, the cost of building and more.