[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7349\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EQ\u0026A: \u2018We need to reduce the \u2018embodied energy\u2019 of buildings\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe says that we need to design buildings to make them recyclable \u2013 but doing this will require a fundamental restructure of the construction industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow important is it to \u2018green\u2019 the construction industry?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe building sector is responsible for more than a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/global-status-report-for-buildings-and-construction-2019\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethird of our greenhouse gas emissions\u003C\/a\u003E, and more than \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php?title=File:Waste_generation_by_economic_activities_and_households,_2018_(%25_share_of_total_waste_).png\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ea third of our waste\u003C\/a\u003E \u2026 and is one of the most resource-depleting industries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s three good reasons for us to think about how to construct buildings in a more sustainable way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnd how urgent is it, given the rate at which emissions must be cut to meet \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/unfccc.int\/process-and-meetings\/the-paris-agreement\/the-paris-agreement\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ethe Paris climate agreement goal\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E?\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEurope has set a target of net zero emissions in the construction and buildings sector by 2050. It is a huge ambition. If we don\u2019t change the sector in the next five years we won\u2019t be able to achieve that target.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere has been a lot of innovation in reducing the energy we need to heat and cool buildings \u2013 the \u2018operational energy\u2019. But we also need to reduce the \u2018embodied energy\u2019 of buildings, which is related to production, construction, demolition and maintenance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe need to shift from a linear model to a circular model where we use as little new material as possible, and (instead) we reuse, repair and recycle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECan you give examples of what this might look like?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the things that makes demolition attractive is it is very quick \u2026 we just wreck everything and send it to landfill. But to go towards a circular construction industry, we want to be deconstructing buildings (and reusing the materials). This takes more time and often more expertise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re exploring robots in our research. If we can find ways to program robots to carefully disassemble building elements, potentially it could be done quicker than humans because they could work 24\/7 in an automated way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe still need the human expertise, and we still need to design for deconstruction so building materials are not glued together and cast together in a way that makes it hard to take them apart.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s a lot of innovation (still) to do in designing buildings that can be quickly disassembled.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd there are already a lot of startups in the reuse sector \u2013 they train people who are specialised in recognising which materials are valuable on the market, and how to remove materials without breaking them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut (robots) can be one of the solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow much material is currently reused from old buildings?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(Construction companies) take away only about 1% of building materials from a demolition site for reuse, because the market isn\u2019t in place yet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf there was more demand and more actors involved, we could (reuse) more materials from buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(In the meantime) you can reuse buildings as a whole by keeping the structure in place and putting a more flexible infill into them.\u0026nbsp;For example, introducing \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.carltd.com\/services\/buildings-cities\/design-flexibility-and-adaptation\u0022\u003Emovable wall partitions\u003C\/a\u003E allows an office to be reconfigured quickly and cheaply in the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat needs to happen for us to achieve circular construction?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe will need to completely review the whole supply chain in the building sector.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBuilding users and owners, architects, engineers, contractors, materials suppliers \u2026 (and) governments need to work together towards this transition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt TU Delft we are looking at how digitalisation can help put stakeholders in contact with each other so they can exchange materials and reuse them, rather than throwing them away.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(We) are exploring AI technology to make digital platforms for exchanging materials more efficient.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We need to start assessing the price of a building based on its long-term lifecycle cost.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Catherine De Wolf, TU Delft, the Netherlands\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s holding back the shift to a circular economy? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s a strong concrete and steel lobby in the construction industry that is definitely playing a role.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it\u2019s also about how fragmented the construction industry is. There are so many contractors and subcontractors, so communication between stakeholders is quite difficult.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe construction sector in general is quite slow in the uptake of innovation \u2013 especially digital innovation \u2013 compared to other sectors, and I think this is because of how fragmented the value chain is.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECan the construction industry really become circular within 5 years?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYes I think so. It\u2019s already shifting towards circular construction. And there\u2019s a lot we can do to accelerate the transition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, currently some building materials are quite cheap. We don\u2019t pay for their environmental impact, or the impact of waste on the environment and on society. Carbon and waste taxes could help address that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe public sector can play a big role through changing building regulations and through public procurement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlso, we need to start assessing the price of a building based on its long-term lifecycle cost, and the cost of waste and emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIs the shift to a circular economy the most important change?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe should go beyond circular construction and talk about regenerative construction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat means designing buildings that improve the environment rather than harming it. For example, as well as reusing materials, use materials with carbon sequestration, use (biological-based technology to) treat wastewater from the building, grow vegetables on the roof.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA building is a complex entity so it should be looked at holistically.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr De Wolf has received EU funding under the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/665667\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EEPFL Fellows\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E project.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-hbfpekuph-nclgtdxynr9ealysrk-s4mjall6ekey-s\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-hBfPEkuPh_nClgtdxYnr9eAlYSrk-s4MJAlL6ekey_s\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]