Abstract

We were all taught to - not litter and to put our rubbish in a bin. Where did it go after and what happened to it next? Has it not simply been a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, as it was taken from our surrounding, only to be dumped onto another’s? The construction industry is the highest consumer of resources and energy in most countries and also the highest producer of waste, with most of it ending up in landfills. This is possibly due to the linear approach - cradle to grave flow of most resources. This linear flow is the consequence of historically cheap and abundant resource supplies leading companies and nations to focus on supplying customers an ever increasing throughput of goods. However, we are rapidly approaching a point where this linear model is no longer viable: where, due to rising global population and affluence, the availability of many nonrenewable - metals, minerals, and fossil fuel s- can’t keep up with the demand.

The regenerative capacities of land, forests, and water are becoming strained past their limits, and planetary boundaries are threatened as never before. Putting simply, the current economic system is unsustainable. We need to find new system/s - which are regenerative by design, to meet the complex needs of today’s gloabl environment, economy and societies. This research uses and analysis the ‘circualr economy’ theory principles in architecture - where resources are used in a closed loop system minimizing waste.

Riddhi Bora