The challenge
With global population growth set to continue its rapid development, the need for housing in cities worldwide will similarly expand. Currently, construction and demolition waste accounts for close to one third of all waste in the European Union, and with the sector expected to grow worldwide in response to increasing housing needs, there is an urgent need for rethinking the way we design and construct buildings.
The future
Current traditions within the construction sector limit the recyclability of materials due to the widespread use of binding materials that are difficult to take apart without damaging the construction elements. Rethinking the design of buildings to become more circular includes that the buildings are designed for disassembly and that strict rules for materials use and registration are applied in order to ease the process of taking apart and reusing components later on.