Circular design in the built environment
For the 2023–2024 period, CEBIC's focus area is circular design in the built environment. This is an extension of CEBIC’s previous focus on circular design.
Innovating to avoid or design out waste in construction and the built environment will give Victorian business and industry a competitive edge: boosting productivity and future-proofing our economy, as we reduce waste to landfill and lower emissions to meet our target of net zero emissions by 2045.
What is the built environment?
‘Built environment’ refers to the human-made surroundings people use to live, work, and play. It encompasses buildings and parks, and their supporting infrastructure such as transport, water, and energy networks.
The built environment has an impact on human wellbeing. In turn, the built environment puts pressure on the natural environment. This is due primarily to the use of land, water, and energy resources, as well as the waste and emissions produced when using these resources.
Why focus on circular design in the built environment?
As of 2022, Victoria’s construction industry generates $39.6 billion and accounts for 358,900 jobs, making it the fifth-largest sector for economic output in the state.
Victoria is expected to have the largest and fastest-growing population increase in Australia, projected to increase by an additional 1.2 million people by 2027. As the population grows, demand for amenities, housing, and transportation infrastructure will also increase, providing more opportunities for the built environment sector to thrive.
Impacts of increased development
Economic and population growth bring with them detrimental impacts on the environment (air, land, and water pollution), as well as consequences for human health.
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Construction and demolition activities generate a substantial amount of waste. According to Victoria's waste projection model, 7.7 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste were generated in Victoria in 2019–20.
If current practices continue, this waste stream will continue to grow in the future. While a large proportion was recycled (86% in 2019–20), there are opportunities for waste reduction, reuse, and further recycling.
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The construction industry is a major consumer of raw materials, such as aggregates, sand, and timber. Excessive extraction and consumption of these resources can lead to environmental degradation, habitat destruction, and depletion of natural resources. Globally, the extraction of raw materials more than doubled between 1990 and 2017, and it is projected to double again by 2060.
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Construction and demolition activities require substantial amounts of energy for material production, transportation, and on-site operations. This energy consumption contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
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The construction sector is responsible for almost 40% of energy-and process-related emissions. These emissions result primarily from the production and transportation of construction materials, on-site energy use, and the disposal of construction and demolition waste in landfills.
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Construction activities – such as cutting, grinding, welding, cement receival and transfer, and the washing of vehicles, tools, surfaces, and equipment near waterways – contribute to water pollution when proper measures are not taken. This includes the lack of containment or collection of wash waters, as well as the improper handling of used water from activities like concrete works, brick cutting, roof tiling, caulking, and rendering.
Water pollution caused by these activities can result in wastewater and stormwater contamination. Stormwater contamination occurs when rain and storm runoff carries pollutants, such as sediments, fertilizers, nutrients, chemicals, litter, and human and animal waste. Stormwater drains do not lead to treatment plants but directly connect to nearby natural waterways, such as creeks, rivers, wetlands, and bays.
Applying circular design
The table below, compiled by Deakin University, shows examples of circular economy practices that can be implemented throughout the stages of a built environment project. These practices contribute to resource and energy efficiency, material reuse, efficient use of spaces, and reduced waste. Applying circular practices during the design phase is key.
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Life cycle stage Circular economy practices Project design
- Designing and using of modular buildings.
- Designing for disassembly.
- Designing for adaptability of existing buildings.
- A scale to analyse to what extent circular economy practices can be implemented in the company.
- A simulation in a building information modelling (BIM) model early in the project to analyse the reuse potential of the materials in different types of designs.
- A life cycle analysis to find the benefits of reusing different types of materials in the design stage.
- Using materials stock data to help with the reuse of materials in a new building.
Manufacture
- Changing material use by allowing manufacturers to reuse materials after the first building’s end of life.
- Reusing secondary materials when producing building materials.
- Developing of material passports.
Construction
- Reusing building materials in a new construction.
- Reducing waste.
- Off-site construction.
- Prescribing in procurement contracts that waste should be separated on-site to facilitate recycling.
- Favouring construction systems that incorporate circular economy thinking .
- Conserving, updating, and sharing information so it remains relevant throughout the building’s life.
Operation
- Using a tool to evaluate the state of materials during a building’s life and end of life.
- Using water-management practices.
- Minimising recuperative maintenance through preventive maintenance.
End of life
- Analysing the potential to reuse or recycle existing materials and whether using them is feasible compared with using new materials.
- Managing demolition waste.
- Using a circularity tool to evaluate existing buildings, thus giving the best possible solutions for refurbishment.
- Deconstructing buildings and their parts.
- Requesting detailed information from providers and designers on products, materials, and building design.
CEBIC funded projects
CEBIC invests in Victorian organisations to think smarter, innovate, and go circular. Our goal is to transform how these organisations use resources, embed new approaches to sustainability, and develop future-proof models to design out waste.
We are proud to support the following built environment projects that contribute to a circular economy.
Reducing 50% of construction waste through prefabrication
The project will validate the waste, cost and time saving potential of prefabrication in a Victorian context, providing both the evidence-base and business case to support future private investment in the sector.
Learn more
Reducing waste in Victoria through a circular, modular housing system
Villette is a modular design system that helping to solve the ongoing challenges of the high demand for housing, and its affordability. The product embraces the principles of a circular economy business model by reducing waste through clever design and build methods derived from decades of experience in the building industry.
Learn more
