The circularity of renovation solutions for residential buildings

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste accounts for approximately a third of all waste generated in the EU. Adopting circularity principles to the construction processes aims to reduce waste generation. The focus of the study was on circular renovation solutions as renovation is becoming increasingly important. The renovation wave for Europe sets a target to double annual energy renovation rates in the next ten years. This study analyses circularity of the renovation concepts for the pilot renovation cases in seven countries in different climate zones in Europe. Analyses were carried out within the DRIVE 0 project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Pilot buildings are detached houses and apartment buildings with different renovation interventions. Design for Disassembly criteria and embodied energy and embodied CO2 analyses combine design and material use aspects. Results show that in terms of design for disassembly indicators, prefabricated modular solutions have much higher circularity potential than the traditional wall insulation systems due to the low disassembly and reusability potential of external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS). The environmental impact of the prefabricated insulation solutions is lower than and ETICS solutions. Although the difference between prefabricated and ETICS solutions in terms of environmental impact is smaller than in terms of disassembly and recovery options.