Executive summary Super Circular Estate
Super Circular Estate Zoom-in 5
Super Circular Estate (SCE) Project illustrated potential of reactivation of resources within existing built environments and helped us understand better the balance/disbalance between costs and benefits of circular building concepts within a framework of the existing market and legal conditions.
Number of solutions have been tested through the demonstration of circular concepts during deconstruction of 10-story flat building and construction of three new houses while reusing 95% of materials from a neighbouring downer building. These experiments illustrated potential of reactivating and extending material life at the end of building life by means of deconstruction and material/product reuse, demonstrating that end of building life does not necessarily mean end of materials life. Besides the demonstration of material circularity, several co-creation sessions with inhabitants have been organised, which resulted into their involvement into a physical transformation of the neighbourhood that brought about greater social interaction.
Last but not least, extraordinary step was made in the field of water recycling and creation of closed water cycles and water reuse systems in the neighbourhood and new housing.
This expert’s journal will elaborate on cost and benefits analyses as well as on lessons learned during the project and their implementation into a spin off projects. These helped to identify barriers and opportunities for the further evolution of construction industry towards a circular one.
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