In order to achieve more impact and efficiency on the route towards a circular economy, new business models are introduced in the value chain of construction. It is suggested that lease and performance contracts will stimulate producers to improve quality and lifetime of building products, thereby ameliorating use and reuse of products and their materials. This, since these companies know the origin and composition of the materials, and the history of use and service of the products. The advantages seem to be obvious: the user only pays for use and performance of the product e.g. light, energy, vertical transport or protection against water and wind. The producers remain the owners of products and resources, and have the possibility to reuse and recycle materials and products in an efficient manner. This requires that they provide service during the lifetime of the products, and have the obligation to take care of the perfor- mance of their products over a certain period of time.In the Netherlands these circular business models (CBMs) are already implemented at a small scale. The introduction of these models raises some fundamental questions however, which, ideally, need to be addressed before such models are implemented at a larger scale. The aim of this paper is on the one hand to describe some of these business models, and on the other hand to reflect on some fundamental questions that can be raised in relation to a shift of ownership of materials. What may be the consequences of this shift of ownership? What are the risks of agglomeration of building materials by larger companies? Among other things such a shift could potentially influence the diversity and flexibility of choice available for tenants and building owners. It may also limit future possibilities of SME’s in the supply chain of construction. Are there ways to minimize some of these risks if we decide to implement these business models at a large scale?
The urgency for developing a circular economy is growing, and more and more companies and organisations are concerned with the importance of adapting their business to fit a changing economy. However, many analyses on the circular economy are still rather abstract and there is a lack of understanding about what circularity would mean for specific industries. This insufficient insight especially seems to be apparent in the building and construction sector. Besides, the building and construction sector is responsible for a major part of energy use and emissions. To tackle the issue of insufficient insight into the business consequences of circular developments, further research is necessary. Therefore, we propose to collaborate on a research project that aims to provide a more detailed level of analysis. The goal is to identify drivers and barriers to make better use of materials in the building and construction sector. This further research would benefit from an international collaboration between universities of applied sciences and industry from different European countries. An additional benefit of the applied orientation would be the relevance for professional education programmes. The article is published in the proceedings of the conference : http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CARPE2019.2019.10582 Publisher Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2019 www.lalibreria.upv.es / Ref.: 6523_01_01_01 Creative Commons Atribution-NonCommercial-NonDetivates-4.0 Int.
MULTIFILE
Confronted by more and more global sustainabilityrelated challenges, society is increasingly aiming for a circular economy. Wouldn’t it be ideal if we could contribute to an economic model with closed loops, where products and materials that are at the end of their functional life are reused in new products and systems? As the Netherlands aims to have a fully circular economy (i.e., zero net waste) by 2050, circularity is also a critical theme for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. ‘Circular City’ is one of the main urban challenges of the Urban Technology research programme of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Its chair of Circular Design & Business and its research group on Digital Production collaborate with companies, lecturers and students on a range of applied research projects in order to advance the knowledge around circular design and business model strategies making use of digital production to encourage the local reuse of discarded urban materials. Amsterdam ArenA, home base of the Ajax football team and a major concert and events venue, is replacing all stadium seats in the run-up to the European Football Championship in 2020 (UEFA Euro 2020), and wishes to do so in a socially responsible manner. With that purpose, Amsterdam ArenA engaged the expertise of the Urban Technology research programme at the AUAS to study the viability reusing the old seats in a circular manner. The research started from the assumption that these discarded seats not only form a large and relatively homogeneous waste stream, but also have an emotional value that can potentially raise their economic value, beyond that of the material alone. For the AUAS this was an important case study, because the Amsterdam ArenA aspires to be a stage for sustainable innovations, reduce its environmental impact and stimulate the local economy. This project could serve as an example for other stadiums and public buildings with substantial waste streams on how to handle discarded products, and rethink how they can prevent waste in the future. With this mission, the AUAS lined up a team of experts on circular design, digital production, business modelling and impact studies to carry out a comprehensive multi-disciplinary study.
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This PD project aims to gather new knowledge through artistic and participatory design research within neighbourhoods for possible ways of addressing and understanding the avoidance and numbness caused by feelings of vulnerability, discomfort and pain associated with eco-anxiety and chronic fear of environmental doom. The project will include artistic production and suitable forms of fieldwork. The objectives of the PD are to find answers to the practice problem of society which call for art that sensitises, makes aware and helps initiate behavioural change around the consequences of climate change. Rather than visualize future sea levels directly, it will seek to engage with climate change in a metaphorical and poetic way. Neither a doom nor an overly techno-optimistic scenario seem useful to understand the complexity of flood risk management or the dangers of flooding. By challenging both perspectives with artistic means, this research hopes to counter eco-anxiety and create a sense of open thought and susceptibility to new ideas, feelings and chains of thought. Animation and humour, are possible ingredients. The objective is to find and create multiple Dutch water stories, not just one. To achieve this, it is necessary to develop new methods for selecting and repurposing existing impactful stories and strong images. Citizens and students will be included to do so via fieldwork. In addition, archival materials will be used. Archives serve as a repository for memory recollection and reuse, selecting material from the audiovisual archive of the Institute of Sound & Vision will be a crucial part of the creative work which will include two films and accompanying music.
Many SMEs face the challenge of making their products more sustainable and circular. But what does this mean in concrete terms for their products? Should they use less or different materials? Should they design products for easier disassembly or enable reuse of parts? How can they reduce energy consumption during the use phase? Should they integrate smart technology to collect data that supports circularity? These are difficult but crucial questions for SMEs, and answering them requires a structured approach. In this research, we aim to develop a digital toolbox that guides SMEs in making practical and informed decisions about circular product development. The toolbox makes use of the Rapid Learning Cycle (RLC) methodology, which provides a structured framework for specifying design opportunities, defining key decisions and identifying knowledge gaps. The toolbox will be developed in close collaboration with three companies, each of which has identified specific circular challenges and development directions. The research will start with exploring the development challenges of the three companies with respect to circular product development. These challenges forms the input for the next step in we select and develop supportive, digital, tools which will enhance the RLC-methodology to be used in circular product development. We will test the developed tools in an educational setting at the HAN, with students, before using and validating the toolbox in industry settings. After this, we will make the toolbox available for more companies and education at the HAN. By equipping SMEs with digital, tools to be used in circular product development, this project will help them overcome barriers to circular product development. The project directly contributes to the Smart Industry theme, which focuses on digitalization and sustainable innovation in industrial production.
Within the framework of resource efficiency it is important to recycle and reusematerials, replace fossil fuel based products with bio-based alternatives and avoidthe use of toxic substances. New applications are being sought for locally grownbiomass. In the area of Groningen buildings need reinforcement to guarantee safetyfor its users, due to man-induced earthquakes. Plans are to combine the workneeded for reinforcement with the improvement of energy performance of thesebuildings. The idea is to use bio-based building materials, preferably grown andprocessed in the region.In this study it is investigated whether it is feasible to use Typha (a swap plant) as abasis for a bio-based insulation product. In order to start the activities necessary tofurther develop this idea into a commercial product and start a dedicated company,a number of important questions have to be answered in terms of feasibility. Thisstudy therefore aims at mapping economic, organisational and technical issues andassociated risks and possibilities. On the basis of these results a developmenttrajectory can be started to set up a dedicated supply chain with the appropriatepartners, research projects can be designed to develop the missing knowledge andthe required funding can be acquired.
