About Introduction Principles of a Circular Economy Building and Construction Materials Design and Retrofit Regenerate Nature Globally, there are numerous definitions of a circular economy being utilised across all sectors. A few of the most prominent and widely used definitions include: “An industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-of- life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, which impair reuse and return to the biosphere, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and business models.” A Definition for a Circular Building is: “A circular building optimises the use of resources whilst minimising waste throughout its whole lifecycle. The building’s design, operation and deconstruction maximise value over time using: • Durable products and services made of secondary, non-toxic, sustainably sourced, or renewable, reusable or recyclable material • Space efficiency over time through shared occ Upancy, flexibility and adaptability The World Economic Forum • Longevity, resilience, durability, < “The circular economy is a new and inclusive economic paradigm that aims to minimise pollution and waste, extend product lifecycles, and enable broad sharing of physical and natural easy maintenance and reparability • Disassembly, reuse or recycling of embedded material, components and systems assets. It strives for a competitive economy that creates green and decent jobs and keeps resource use within planetary boundaries.” UNECE’s Economic Cooperation and • Lifecycle assessment (LCA), lifecycle costing (LCC) and readily available digital information (such as building material passports) 22 .” Trade Division (ECTD) “The circular economy refers to an industrial economy that is restorative by intention; aims to rely on renewable energy; minimises, tracks, and eliminates the use of toxic chemicals; and eradicates waste through careful design.” Ellen MacArthur Foundation Despite the challenge of multiple definitions in use, there are clear overlaps between different definitions, frameworks and academic literature in circulation today. Across numerous publications a common set of ‘core’ circular economy principles emerge. For the purpose of providing clarity and overview in this document, an analysis of prominent sources from within the built environment has been conducted. 18 The Circular Built Environment Playbook Analysis of Ci Use circular strategie and solution Built environment supply chain Net zero emissions Nature-based solutions Healthy materials/ avoiding hazardous substance Circular business models Use waste as a resource / material cascading Material efficiency Set of common denominators across definitions of a circular building. The l distribution the higher the number of
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