Circularity assessment is a very challenging issue: how can computer science support the Circular Economy in the built environment?

This seminar will give a very brief introduction of circularity assessment for the built environment and of existing web platforms, software and tools, by discussing the pros and cons of the most adopted methodologies, by taking into account environmental and social aspects, design criteria and stakeholder engagement.

The built environment is one of the most challenging sectors for the circular economy because of its huge impact, its complexity, and its heterogeneity. The construction sector accounts for 40% of the total energy consumption of the European Union (EU)  and during the whole life cycle of a building dozens of different stakeholders have to be engaged . A building is a very complex interacting and living socio-technical system, made up of different layers with different lifespan, from the structure to services and indoor furnishing , which daily interact with its occupants. Currently, dozens of assessment methodologies have been proposed worldwide attempting to include the three aspects of sustainability, i.e. environment, equity and economy , and a recognized standard does not exist yet. Thus, the approach to be chosen mainly depends on communication purposes and on the engaged stakeholders, as well as on data availability.