Analysis of Adaptability Requirements Against Their Implementation in Level(s) Framework

Abstract

The adaptability of buildings is considered an essential criterion of sustainability and circularity of the built environment. Change is inevitable in our modern life. Therefore, designing buildings for adaptability and adaptive reuse is urgently necessary to save resources and prevent waste produced by arbitrary demolition activities. The circular economy recognises DfA “Design for Adaptability” as a key strategy to achieve the circularity of buildings, counting on the concept's ability to optimise the effectiveness of other strategies such as design for disassembly (DfD) and promote the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle). The recognition is reflected in the EU framework for sustainability assessment Level(s), which embraces four circularity indicators in Macro Objective 2. The paper identifies adaptability requirements building on multiple adaptability and circularity assessment models. In light of these requirements, Level(s) consideration of DfA is examined, leading to multiple possible improvements to more inclusive and objective adaptability and circularity assessment.