More information
Description
Construction sector consumes about 50% of the raw materials extracted, while accounting for over 35% of the total waste generated in the EU. Greenhouse gas emissions related to the construction sector are estimated to be between 5% and 12% of total emissions, with an estimated 80% reduction potential. The circular economy can provide an answer to these challenges. However, there is a need to disseminate knowledge on the subject among project stakeholder groups. This is the role of the CIRCON.
The project plans to implement CE principles in practice in construction sector through: a) workshops with stakeholders on creating the compendium b) creating a compendium of knowledge on designing buildings in accordance with CE c) demonstrative actions - Project Based Learning projects with students to demonstrate benefits of using the guidelines d) dissemination of knowledge about the design of circular buildings among key stakeholders in the construction industry.
The project plans to increase knowledge about environmental and economic benefits of implementing a circular economy and therefore the amount of raw and construction materials will be reduced.
Planned educational activities will help stakeholders to acquire good habits connected with CE and its implementation already at the planning stage.
Green Building Council Iceland can bring expertise in the topic of circular economy in Icelandic context. It is especially important here because of its geographic location (island with difficult climate conditions), where importing new building materials has significant carbon footprint. GBCI can also bring expertise in project “Guidelines for eco-friendly constructions 2030”developed in partnership with Icelandic Housing and Civil Engineering Institute. GBCI is one of the project managements.
Summary of project results
The construction sector consumes huge amounts of resources, including about 50% of extracted raw materials, while accounting for more than 35% of the total waste generated in the EU. In turn, emissions associated with the extraction of raw materials, the manufacture of construction products, and the construction and retrofitting of buildings are estimated at 5-12% of total emissions in individual EU countries. It is estimated that by using materials more efficiently, as much as 80% of emissions reductions could be achieved.
The CIRCON project is a response to the challenge facing EU countries, which need to implement circularity principles on a large scale in the construction industry so that Europe''s climate neutrality can be achieved by 2050.
The goal of the project was to spread the use of circularity principles in construction through two main activities:
- creating guidebook about designing buildings in accordance with circularity principles,
- disseminating knowledge about circular building design among key stakeholders in the construction market.
The first step was to develop indicators of circularity in construction and consult with experts in Poland and Iceland through working group meetings 8 meetings in Poland and 7 meetings in Iceland). The indicators developed make it possible to determine the circularity measures related to the construction and renovation of buildings, and thus make the right choices at the building planning stage. The project partners collected and analyzed concrete case studies - good examples in the area of circular construction. Both the indicators and good examples were included in a guidebook, which was created in three language versions - English, Polish and Icelandic. The guidebooks are available at the links to the project websites indicated below.
Another activity carried out as part of the project was the creation of websites for Polish (https://circon.plgbc.org.pl/) and Icelandic (https://circon.graennibyggd.is/en/) users, where all the most important information related to the CIRCON project was posted:
- information about the project, partners and funding
- information on the national and legislative context, as well as general information on circular construction
- circularity indicators
- case studies
- recommended literature on circularity in construction
- downloadable guidebooks in relevant languages
- information on upcoming / completed events related to the project
The most important events related to the implementation of the project were two conferences on circularity in construction - the first was held in Iceland in September 2023 and gathered 845 online and 137 in-person participants, while the second was held in Poland in October 2023 with participation of 92 online and 264 in-person people. The official publication of the guidebook on circularity in construction for Poland took place during the conference in October.
An important stakeholder group for raising awareness of circularity in construction is students. This group was targeted by Project Based Learning (PBL) activities in which students engaged in circular buildings. Three such projects took place in Poland, two in Iceland.
Awareness-raising activities on circularity in construction among construction market stakeholders was central to the project. A series of information meetings in Poland and Iceland were planned and implemented, during which materials developed by the partners were demonstrated, circularity indicators were discussed and case studies of circular buildings were presented. There were 10 in-person and 19 online meetings across both countries. A total number of 1330 participants took part in the meetings, of which 673 in Iceland and 657 in Poland.
The final event of the project was the press conference which took place online, in Poland and gathered over 60 participants. The conference was a summary of the project and was combined with a panel discussion related to circularity in construction.
Circularity in construction is a widely discussed topic in Europe, but implementing circularity principles is very difficult without specific guidelines and appropriate legislation. The circularity indicators developed within the framework of the project provide guidance to architects, designers and civil engineers on the measures they should take to make their construction projects circular. The project also allowed students to go beyond the standard framework of thinking about construction and explore alternative possibilities regarding the choice of materials for construction.
The results of the project reached 2,759 people in Poland and Iceland, including 1,330 participants in information meetings, which were very popular.
Summary of bilateral results
1.The cooperation enabled the exchange of experience and knowledge by partners from both countries, which translated into a broader context related to circularity in construction - largely contributed to by working groups operating in both countries, consisting of experts from the construction industry. Thanks to this cooperation, the developed circularity indicators were created in a comprehensive manner, taking into account the specifics of both countries.2.The main reasults are:•The circularity indicators developed took into account the peculiarities of both partner countries•joint work on the topic of circularity made it possible to learn more about the broader context of this issue, the problems faced by both countries in this area and share experiences and good practices3.The two organizations (PLGBC and GBCI) cooperate in various WorldGBC activities and initiatives. They also do not exclude the joint implementation in some projects in the future.