Most building concepts were directed at minimizing negative impacts. The idea of positive impacts with healthy abundance was often seen as unrealistic. However, that has changed through positive approaches such as urban farming, grid-competitive solar power and healthy buildings. In their new book, the three authors describe how healthy and recyclable buildings can be achieved and what the key aspects are. Douglas Mulhall, Michael Braungart and Katja Hansen have been working together since the 1990s, driving Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle (C2C®) approaches forward.
The authors also deal with these and other topics in their publication, highlighting practical methods, solutions and lighthouse projects from current practice. They also present a new approach that describes the path from the traditional idea of sustainability to the C2C-inspired Circular Economy. All the methods and approaches presented in the book can be applied to different project types, building types and area development projects, as well as to a wide variety of sectors such as housing, healthcare, industry or logistics. Readers and users can use this guide to improve the performance of their buildings and achieve higher environmental and economic results.
The book was produced in association with the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Munich (Germany), the Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology of the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), and the EU research project Buildings As Material Banks (BAMB).Launched in 2015, the BAMB project aims to develop recycling-enabled solutions using standardized data sets for product manufacturers and the construction industry. Drees & Sommer and EPEA GmbH, which now operates as EPEA GmbH – Part of Drees & Sommer, advised on the project right from the start and contributed its practical knowledge and experience of Cradle to Cradle projects.
The authors:
Douglas Mulhall supervises the design and implementation of building and infrastructure innovations worldwide, and advises governments and corporations on the topic of circular economy. He is Guest Researcher at the Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and research fellow at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
Professor Dr. Michael Braungart is co-founder of the Cradle to Cradle design framework and founder of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH. He is professor at the Institute for Ethical and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research of Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany, and promotes worldwide the development of environmentally compatible and recyclable products, processes and buildings.
Katja Hansen is an experienced Circular Economy expert and educator. She advises on projects run by various institutions and companies worldwide and heads the Healthy Printing Alliance. She also works as a research fellow at the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Munich.