Circular construction: stoppers and solutions

Circular construction is being actively promoted to transform the real estate sector towards a cradle-to-cradle model, reducing the waste impact and carbon footprint. But we need to identify stoppers and their solutions. It has been identified that the transition is not straightforward, mainly facing the lack of a culture of reuse when a linear “use and throwaway” mentality persists, where waste is managed in the end rather than prevented. The complexity of demolition and dismantling and the lack of reversible construction systems makes it difficult to separate materials for reuse. And on-site waste management with traditional methods of loading and transporting rune (debris) to landfill, instead of sorting at source, generates limited information, a need for more rigorous waste audits before demolition to map the potential of materials. This session will analyse the case of the refurbishment of a collegiate headquarters where principles of circularity were applied, reform of the reform with waste audit and collaboration with the Resource Bank for the donation of surpluses or withdrawn materials, preventing them from becoming waste, which is aligned with the new European regulations. The goal of Cateb by 2026 is to place Technical Architecture at the center of this transformation, promoting efficient management, selective deconstruction and waste recovery.