Buildings and the circular economy. Estimating urban mining, recovery and reuse potential of building components

Objective of the present study was to evaluate the materials stocks of the built environment in an urban mining (UM) perspective with the aim of defining potentialities in terms of reuse and recycling and to implement policies and strategy for resource efficiency. A methodology to evaluate the materials stocks, combining design for disassembly and reuse with a ‘life cycle’ approach in a urban mining perspective, has been developed and applied to a representative case of functional and architectural refurbishment of a disused building. The intervention effectiveness levels have been measured using quantitative indicators of circularity and decarbonisation. The proposed approach and the presented results are very useful for the definition of materials stock for various building typologies and at different scales in order to support public administration and other actors, involved in urban planning and management, in developing interventions plans based on urban mining and circular design.