Building from building waste: The development of an instrument to determine the circularity of materials from the existing building stock in order to maximise high quality reuse

On a global level the population growth and increase of the middle class lead to a growing demand on material resources. The built environment has an enormous impact on this scarcity. In addition, a surplus of construction and demolition waste is a common problem. The construction industry claims to recycle 95% of this waste but this is in fact mainly downcycling. Towards the circular economy, the quality of reuse becomes of increasing importance. Buildings are material warehouses that can contribute to this high quality reuse. However, several aspects to achieve this are unknown and a need for more insight into the potential for high quality reuse of building materials exists. Therefore an instrument has been developed that determines the circularity of construction waste in order to maximise high quality reuse. The instrument is based on three principles: ‘product and material flows in the end of life phase’, ‘future value of secondary materials and products’ and ‘the success of repetition in a new life cycle’. These principles are further divided into a number of criteria to which values and weighting factors are assigned. A degree of circularity can then be determined as a percentage. A case study for a typical 70s building is carried out. For concrete, the circularity is increased from 25% to 50% by mapping out the potential for high quality reuse. During the development of the instrument it was clarified that some criteria are difficult to measure. Accurate and reliable data are limited and assumptions had to be made. To increase the reliability of the instrument, experts have reviewed the instrument several times. In the long-term, the instrument can be used as a tool for quantitative research to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste and contribute to the reduction of raw material scarcity.

La formació d'una cooperativa de segon grau en la Vall de Guadalest. Un instrument agrari de desenvolupament rural

El camp valencià es troba immers en un procés de subsistència que any rere any empitjora, lligat a la falta de rendibilitat i que afecta sobretot a zones que han conservat el seu model agrari tradicional, condicionades doncs al seu abandonament. Aquesta situació recau en les nostres mans, tenint l’oportunitat de cercar projectes i iniciatives per tal de posar en valor els recursos propis de cada lloc i que a més, siguen atractives per a anar tant a viure com treballar. Per tant la finalitat d’aquest treball és realitzar un estudi aplicat a la Vall de Guadalest, per a estimar si la creació d’un instrument què cohesione els agents implicats en l’activitat agrària, com en aquest cas, una cooperativa de segon grau, pot servir com eina de desenvolupament territorial sostenible que reactive l’activitat agrària i ature el procés d’abandonament del camp.