Selezione e uso dei materiali per Edifici Eco-efficaci: dall’Harvest Mapping al Design for Deconstruction Selection and use of materials for Eco-Effective Buildings: from Harvest Mapping to Design for Deconstruction

Implementing the circular approach in the built environment, in response to the EU objectives on resource efficiency, means creating closed loops of materials and preventing the production of waste in the short and long term, by rethinking the design, production, procurement and construction processes. This contribution focuses on the implementation of the Circular Paradigm to the architecture project, aiming at the Eco-Effective Building, able to generate cyclical, cradle- to-cradle ‘metabolisms’ by enabling materials to maintain their status as resources and accumulate intelligence over time (upcycling). The goal of the reported research experiences is to increase the resource productivity in the National building sector by integrating the Nearly Zero Energy Building standard with the Nearly Zero Impact of Materials Used over the Whole Life Cycle approach. The two main research areas are: the superuse strategy (going beyond reuse, by looking for wasted materials and products and interpreting them as a resource for the design itself); the transfer of the Design for Deconstruction strategy to the Italian construction sector, with adaptation of disassemblable building technologies to our typical construction methods (massive, wet). The first theme focuses on the early selection of reusable materials through the Harvest Mapping process, scouting the area adjacent to the intervention site for sources of wasted products/components that can be remanufactured and reused in reversible construction systems. The second theme gives the opportunity of designing through multiple compatible scenarios, adopting updatable and replaceable systems, through the use/reuse of materials selected from different industrial, artisanal and building production chains, including waste. Final objective is the strategic development of low energy_low cost solutions for the Eco-Effective Building, able to innovate urban regeneration interventions in a circular perspective. However, the integration of closed-loop building materials, able to respond to quality and eco-compatibility requirements, entails the need to increase the collaborative interaction between the actors of the building supply chain.