Circularity assessment in buildings and built environment: an integrated multiscale framework

Circular transition requires systematic interventions in the built environment, particularly at the urban level, to close resource loops locally. The adoption of a design-operational approach focused on the life-cycle perspective and circularity, in line with the Green Building Approach, at the same time responds to resource scarcity and cuts CO2 emissions in the regeneration and integration of urban settlements. In this view, the dimension of the urban neighbourhood offers an ideal field of experimentation to test and scale up circular strategies and solutions, starting from the building scale. The contribution reports the results of an ongoing research whose aim is to propose a methodology to identify basic characteristics and performances allowing a neighbourhood to be defined as circular, and to promote their spread through design both in regeneration and new construction. Thus, the research addresses an important gap due to the limited number of studies on circularity metrics at the neighbourhood scale. From a methodological point of view, the research analyses a selection of case studies and, in parallel, existing circularity metrics at different levels, systematizing them with a set of indicators coming from sustainability protocols at the neighbourhood scale. The research therefore defines an integrated multiscale framework supporting circular design and assessment, valid at the building level but also - in a multiscale perspective - at the neighbourhood level, aiming to develop a support tool for public administrations and designers.