#108 Project Circle Design Phase 1
Project Circle is an exploratory applied research collaboration between industry, academia and government. It will explore how circular systems design can be applied to buildings, specifically focused on materials. The aim is to build a working circular systems demonstrators – specifically a series of small pavilions – that focus on the building and construction sector’s biggest challenge: the embodied energy, material resource use and biodiversity degradation associated with construction.
The design for each pavilion will demonstrate how they fit within climate science-derived emissions limits for Australian housing, and each design will exemplify different approaches to circularity:
- First, via circular biomaterials from regenerative sources ‘grown’ as building materials
- Second, through reclaimed, reconditioned and reused materials salvaged from demolition.
Each building will embody a particular ‘useful archetype’ e.g. free-standing single-storey house versus apartment/townhouse.
Via new and existing research, the project will:
- Identify systemic blockers and enablers, and challenges and opportunities
- Explore the authorising environment for building, such as regulations, policy, business models, investment and value models, public perceptions, public procurement
- Consider international comparators that contrast and complement Australian approaches.
The first phase report will sketch the pavilions’ concept and system design, including approaches to material sourcing, fabrication, construction, program, portability and operations. It will address issues such as material stocks, resources and infrastructures, agricultural/manufacturing capacity, environmental constraints and opportunities, skills and capabilities, financing and value models, technologies, business models, policy and governance. To aid this and other projects, the first phase will produce a conceptual framework for better understanding and better decision-making about material choices, as part of toolkit for communicating and mobilising system change. business models, policy and governance. It will also explore how to communicate and mobilise change.
Project Steering Group: Dr Chris Jensen, Andrew Chappell, Kevin Brake
Project Team: André Bonnice, Prof. Dan Hill, Dr Chris Jensen
Project Advisory Group: Bohemia Hookham, Tom Fisher, Prof. Rob Crawford, Dr James Helal, Katie Skillington, Dr Djordje Stojanovic, A/Prof. Christhina Candido, Prof. Tuan Ngo, Dr Alice Kesminas, Brendon McNiven, Dr Andre Stephan, Dr Xavier Cadorel, Dr Reza Hosseini
Project partner: Lendlease Development
Publications
Lead researcher
Sustainability
Circular Economy
Projects
#113 Hyne Timber Resin Cleaning and Valorisation
#106 Retrofitting Reimagined: Enabling circular economy with a Product–Service System Toolkit
#108 Project Circle Design Phase 1
#70 Building Circularity 4.0: First Steps to Adoption
#48 Scoping Study for Building the Future – Circular Economy – Shared Interest Project
Energy
Theme coordinator
Dr Victor Bunster
Projects
#106 Retrofitting Reimagined: Enabling circular economy with a Product–Service System Toolkit
#108 Project Circle Design Phase 1
#58 The Retrofit Housing Atlas
#76 Thermally active floor panels for cost effective space cooling
#105 Blockchain-powered peer-to-peer energy trading: Advancing sustainability and affordability in smart residential communities
Environmentally Sustainable Design
Theme coordinator
Dr Victor Bunster
Projects
#118 Featherweight Housing: Unlocking affordable, compliant and rapidly deployable walk-up housing through digital innovation and regulatory reform
#117 Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building
#106 Retrofitting Reimagined: Enabling circular economy with a Product–Service System Toolkit
#108 Project Circle Design Phase 1
#112 Flexible wet cores for volumetric housing construction
Sustainable Materials & Products
Theme coordinator
Dr Philip Christopher
Projects
#118 Featherweight Housing: Unlocking affordable, compliant and rapidly deployable walk-up housing through digital innovation and regulatory reform
#113 Hyne Timber Resin Cleaning and Valorisation
#117 Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Building
#106 Retrofitting Reimagined: Enabling circular economy with a Product–Service System Toolkit
#108 Project Circle Design Phase 1