Integrating regenerative materials in circular building products

One of the main approaches to making building products more circular is to reconsider their materiality. Biological or biotic resources are currently used giving way to a new generation of eco-friendly materials. In this video, Olga describes existing directions of material research where circularity principles border with the principles of regenerative systems.

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Main Takeaways

  • Even though sustainability criteria have been established for building materials since decades, these do not necessarily score the highest in the overall performance criteria hierarchies. Additionally, the complexity of materials usage has increased, lengthening the roster of critical elements.

  • Circularity brings materiality centerstage fostering the development of new materials for which natural, and biological or biotic resources are used giving way to a new generation of eco-friendly building products. The making of such building products is situated in the crossovers of the disciplinary fields of material science, structural and mechanical engineering and architectural and industrial design with knowledge domains that are not traditionally consulted like biology, and agroforestry, but also art and crafts.

  • Current trends in material research include [a] revisiting and revising the use of natural material resources like rammed earth, [b] opening up to entirely new biotic (renewable) resources like agricultural residuals, and [c] exploring living materials like algae.

Circularity for Educators

The platform is intended to provide with content on either circularity or pedagogy for and about circularity. It is one of the outcomes of the Circular Impulse Initiative (CII), a project intending to enhance the integration of circularity in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment education. The platform mainly aims to help tutors get better acquainted with circularity in the built environment by providing a series of resources on this subject that they can either view to get better informed or directly share with their students in class or online. A large number of the Faculty's professors and researchers have contributed substantially both in creating a coherent narrative for circularity in the built environment as well as further elaborating on different aspects of it. Besides this one, a new platform for interaction and direct exchange was also established in parallel that we call ‘Educators for Circularity‘. This one offers the opportunity for all of us to meet and share our experiences and learn from one another.

Visit Educators for Circularity