Sustainable Development And Circular Economy In The Built Environment

The considerable impact on the environment, the consumption of resources and the generation of waste from buildings is a cause for great concern and political attention. Thus, the interest in the concept of circular economy, a concept that involves slowing down, narrowing and/or closing loops for different building materials, through circular economy strategies (reuse, repair, renovation, recycling and recovery), has increased in recent years precisely to facilitate the minimization of the effect of these aspects that are still fully unresolved and come from the construction industry. At the same time, although circular economy initiatives proliferate within industry, however, the widespread approach of the circular economy is still lacking and the current development and implementation of strategies for the design and construction of buildings through the circular economy is in many cases structured. The construction and construction industry have a growing implication on the global consumption of resources (Weerasinghe et al., 2021)[10]. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), buildings consume about 36% of global energy and produce about 40% of GHG (GREEN House Gas) emissions. As stated by the authors Son et al., (2011)[9] green buildings have become a kind of pennant, motto of sustainable development by achieving its three pillars: social, economic and environmental. Thus, in the opinion of the authors Weerasinghe et al., (2021)[10], quoting Kats (2010) and Zuo&Zhao (2014)[12], modern buildings are expected to be or can become green buildings only by incorporating sustainable features in the form of energy efficiency, efficient management of water, sustainable materials and resources, improving the quality of the indoor environment as well as the health and productivity of occupants. On the other hand, in another opinion, this gives the impression that green buildings are “firstly created using processes that are environmentally responsible, and secondly, green buildings are resource efficient throughout their life cycle”, aspects which broaden and complement the classic concerns of building design in terms of the economy, utility, durability and comfort, as outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).