Metabolic has contributed to a new framework for circular building practices that could help inform BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability certification scheme for buildings.
With the support of the Redevco Foundation, we worked with the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC), SGS Search and Circle Economy to deliver the report A Framework for Circular Buildings: Indicators for possible inclusion in BREEAM.
The strategic framework for circular buildings, which are constructed in a way that continuously cycles materials at high-value, identifies six crucial indicators to include in BREEAM-NL that could underpin the DGBC’s ambition to accelerate the transition to a sustainable built environment.
The six indicators are:
- Accountability and substantiation of building volume
- Design for reassembly
- Maximize amount of reused materials
- Maximize amount of renewable materials
- Availability of information (element, component, material)
- Building design embodies no or minimal toxicity
“A special development”
Metabolic sustainability consultant Merlijn Blok, one of the co-authors of the report, said: “Developing a measurable definition of circularity in the built environment is an important and ongoing task in the transition to a circular economy. Having worked with this group of knowledgeable partners on a framework for circular buildings, and seeing steps towards standardization through an influential certification scheme such as BREEAM, is an important contribution in this field.”
Edwin van Noort, the Development and Management Manager at DGBC, said that this framework is a “special development” that would help further define sustainable building practices.
DGBC Foundation, an independent social network organization, developed the national sustainability quality hallmark BREEAM-NL, a sustainable assessment method for buildings derived from BREEAM International. To date more than nine million square meters of real estate areas has been certified.
Clemens Brenninkmeijer, the director of Redevco, said his organization supports initiatives that accelerate the transition to more sustainable construction practices.
“We are very satisfied with the outcome of this research project, since the proposed integration of these measures within BREEAM-NL – and hopefully also within BREEAM International – will encourage even more parties to think about concrete measures to make our real estate sector more efficient, less wasteful and more competitive.”
In an attempt to bring together key actors to apply the framework to the constructions sectors at a global scale, on Tuesday 9 October the The first copy of the new report was presented to Shamir Ghumra, director of BREEAM on 9 October 2018 during the real-estate trade fair Expo Real in Munich. The indicators will be tested in a process to follow up on the findings of the report.
Amsterdam circular land tendering
The work is partly informed by our project with the City of Amsterdam to develop circular land tendering in 2017. This week also sees the release of the English translation of our Roadmap Circular Land Tendering report. For more information and to access the translated report click here.
To read the full A Framework for Circular Buildings: Indicators for possible inclusion in BREEAM report go here. To find out more, contact sustainability consultant Merlijn Blok at [email protected]
