Circularity by Design

The construction sector is amongst the world’s largest consumers of resources and raw materials, and a major producer of waste accounting for more than 30% of the total solid waste globally. In the current scenario of climate emergency and rapid population growth, the transition to more sustainable models of development becomes imperative for the preservation of our ecosystem and the well-being of future generations.

Circular Economy represents an opportunity to rethink construction, moving away from linear models (take-make-dispose) of production and consumption towards the adoption of circular approaches where materials resources are preserved through maintenance and repair, reuse, remanufacture and recycling.

Despite the growing awareness of recent years, the path ahead is still largely untracked, and broad systemic uptake of circular models presents several challenges due to the fragmentation and complexity of our industry. A change in design culture is key to enabling systemic sectoral transformation by reassessing value definition and reconfiguring collaboration models in construction.

This project investigates the opportunities for the introduction of circular models in the Australian construction industry.

Findings will support the definition of a roadmap to support a systematic and systemic change in the construction sector, unlocking the full potential for the adoption of circular economy models in the Australian context.

Team

• Dr Eugenia Gasparri
• Dr Arianna Brambilla
• Dr Paolo Stracchi
• Dr Aysu Kuru