Open AccessThe Circular Retrofit Lab: a multi-disciplinary development of a building envelope according to circular design qualities
Author(s) -
Charlotte Cambier,
Jeroen Poppe,
Waldo Galle,
Stijn Elsen,
Niels De Temmerman
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/855/1/012013
Subject(s) - building envelope , architectural engineering , retrofitting , modular design , engineering , envelope (radar) , process (computing) , discipline , engineering design process , construction engineering , building design , civil engineering , systems engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , structural engineering , telecommunications , social science , radar , physics , thermal , sociology , meteorology , operating system
From 2016 until 2019, the Circular Retrofit Lab (CRL) was realised within the H2020-funded project Building As Material Banks (BAMB). The CRL was an experimental pilot project concerning the refurbishment of eight student housing modules in Brussels, Belgium. The lab aims to demonstrate how to implement circular building design in a retrofitting project. This paper discusses the design choices and the outcome of the CRL’s building envelope. That envelope consists of a modular façade system of prefabricated panels. The innovative, adaptable and reusable building solutions applied in the CRL have been developed in collaboration with various construction stakeholders and included, exceptionally in the design and construction process, also industrial partners. In this study, we go deeper into the impact of the multi-disciplinary approach on the resulting implementation of a circular building envelope. Through a reflexive learning-history workshop, we can show how the involvement of various actors and unconventional circularity requirements increase the complexity of the project, but also how they positively impact the reactivation of existing buildings and proved to be a lasting learning opportunity to all partners involved.