Circular construction nodes stay alive
In the constant evolution of energy-conscious and sustainable building, the contractor is an important link. The current concepts of sustainable building, energy-conscious building, passive buildings, low-energy buildings, circular building and so on can only succeed with a professional, correct implementation, in accordance with the rules of the art.
Buildings have a major impact on our environment and consume masses of energy. There is not only the energy consumption for heating and cooling, but also a large amount of embedded energy in the materials used.
Thanks to the evolutions in the EPB regulations, buildings have become increasingly energy efficient. A great potential in dealing responsibly with our climate therefore lies in reducing the environmental impact of building materials and maximising the reuse of building materials. In this respect, the building contractor needs practical information/manuals to translate the current insights regarding reusability and environmental impact into future-oriented construction on site.
Our innovation target
The creation of a high-performance communication platform that provides access to 3-dimensional circular nodes. The result is an educational and user-friendly guide to the correct construction of circular nodes with low environmental impact. The circular aspect is made clear on the basis of the degree of 'harvestability' (urban mining, detachability, reversible construction, .....) of the nodes. This 'harvestability' of the node becomes tangible in the form of a process-related (disassembly manual), technical (type of connections, etc.) and financial (duration, complexity, residual value) aspect. Maximum releasability will, in addition to the minimum environmental impact, be the parameter in the design of the construction nodes.
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Execute construction nodes
We have already successfully realised this similar research project. To date, this site has been consulted an average of 200 times a day, by both contractors and students. In this project, the focus was on the EPB-accepted construction nodes.
Meet the researchers
Our partners
- Cell Innovation - Building Union
- Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Research Group Building Physics - Ghent University
- Network Architects Flanders (NAV)