CIRCAT

Development of a circular procurement package for technical installations

Circular building in Flanders mainly focuses on smart design and well-considered material choices. Designers therefore focus on the adaptability of the plan and the disassembly of building systems. In addition, the emphasis is on materials that can be recovered or recycled at the end of their life cycle.

In terms of technical installations (HVAC, electricity, plumbing, etc.), there is still a primarily linear economic model. In order to embed the circular model in the construction process, it is important that the circular approach is promoted in all its facets. Also in the domain of technical installations, because these are an essential part of any building. Furthermore, installations are maintenance-sensitive and also need to be replaced more frequently than other building layers. They therefore offer enormous potential for dealing even more efficiently with raw materials and resources.

By bringing together a technical design team (Boydens), a research institution with broad expertise in the circular domain (VITO), a progressive client (Revive) and a stakeholder group of industrial market players, Boydens wants to develop a package of relevant circular award criteria for techniques. A package that evaluates the circularity of technical installations in a weighted way, without being manufacturer or product dependent.

The package can be used as a supplement to traditional award criteria, to stimulate the market and to guide building owners in selecting and integrating circular building principles. Over time, it can also become more weighty, so as to reward steps in the right direction without a deterrent effect.

Study bureau Boydens will be able to immediately deploy the developed award package in projects, as it is involved as an engineering bureau in the conceptualization, design and monitoring of technical installations in (medium) sized buildings. The feasibility and impact of the package will therefore also be tested in practice within the research project.

studiebureau r. boydens

Partners VITO / EnergyVille en Re-Vive

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