The Importance of Materials Selection
in Circular Building
Americans love to own the latest in technology, fashion, and design. We are a consumer-driven society who tosses an item into the trash when the newest version hits the market. And, buying is so convenient...order an item on Amazon and receive it the next day.
In the 1970s, the phrase Reduce, Reuse, Recycle became popular to increase our awareness of the overflowing landfills. Today, this phrase has never been more important.
If you haven’t learned about a circular economy and its relationship to the built environment, you soon will. It takes Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to a new level.
Oxford defines a circular economy as “an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way.”
A circular economy applies to the AEC industry more than any other.
Buildings are the largest consumers of natural resources. They are the greatest contributors to Green House Gases (GHGs). Construction and demolition create huge amounts of waste. A circular building prioritizes the reuse and regeneration of materials.
What does this mean for architects?...
