A paradigm shift in designing circular steel buildings: Some key principles and pioneering projects

Abstract

The building and construction sector is responsible for approximately 40 % of global carbon emissions, and if improvement is not made in the short term, this impact will probably double in the next 20 years. Recently, the European Green Deal set a target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, for which the construction industry will need to apply drastic measures given the significance of its impact on the global emissions. Efficient ways of proceeding in that direction, allowing to quantify and effectively reduce the carbon emissions of buildings and infrastructures, rely on life-cycle assessments (LCA) and circularity concepts. Applying the latter in practice requires a paradigm shift, which is necessary to implement in the earliest stages of a construction project if an effective, robust and realistic result is targeted. This article covers some key principles which can be kept in mind for the preparation of a circular construction project, as well as some pioneering projects in Europe which highlight a real possibility of delivering circular steel buildings.