Overview
This part of the nZEBRA course will explore what circular economy is; its basic principles within our planetary boundaries, why it is important for society and climate neutrality. Circular economy will also be critically discussed. Circularity addresses reduction of carbon footprints by resource efficiency, and the very inception in the chain of material and energy use, for breaking the linear tradition of – unearth, produce, consume and throw away. Management of waste and raw materials are among the major challenges for the EU to achieve global sustainability goals. How can waste become new raw material? Circular economy is complex and challenging, and used in various contexts. Multidisciplinarity can hence facilitate the understanding and management of circular economy. In the construction sector the central concepts are economy, sustainability, socially and environmentally conscious approaches, reuse, recycling and upcycling of building materials and energy, and more. The studies will be both theoretical and practical including materials such as legislation, regulations, guides and tools, software, scientific articles and study visits.
They will also explore the definition of concepts such as climate change adaptation, mitigation, as well as resilience, and flexibility using real-world examples, policies, and solutions. Furthermore, students will gain insight into how multiscale climate models and fine spatial resolution climate data influence the performance of integrated renewable energy systems within urban areas. Finally, students will learn how to generate and utilize historical and future weather datasets during typical and extreme climate events for energy and hygrothermal performance assessments of buildings. Hands-on training and practical assignments will provide students with the skills needed to navigate these challenges effectively.
Learning objectives
- Gain a basic understanding of the challenges and opportunities of circular economy regarding recycling, reuse and global technical, societal and ethical aspects.
- Apply new knowledge in multidisciplinary groups for analysis of complex problems relevant for societal challenges due to increased amounts of waste and scrap, and especially residues within construction industry.
- Present creative formulations on problems and/or solutions for critical considerations in terms of sustainable development with respect to ecological and economical sustainability.
- Formulate requirements for suitable tools and measurements for specific circularity, and sustainability goals, in construction industry.
- Problematising how recycling and design can be organised in a circular economy by e.g. industrial symbiosis.
- Critically review and evaluate possibilities and limitations of technology within energy and construction industry, from a global perspective.
- Critically analyse and assess tools, methods and measures to achieve science based sustainability impact for avoiding unwanted methods i.e. greenwash.
