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The project examines how material streams recovered through building disassembly can be developed into type designs for selected building types in Helsinki’s residential areas scheduled for construction in the near future. This research project constitutes Work Package 3 of the larger research initiative Pilot Environments for Circular Economy in Construction, with the City of Helsinki as the main partner, and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. 

A key barrier to circular construction is the unpredictability of the design process, coupled with uncertainty about the availability and quality of components. The project addresses this from two perspectives. First, it sets out a practical method for identifying potential components for disassembly from buildings scheduled for demolition; in this work, the donor buildings are former logistics buildings in the Postipuisto area. Second, it develops replicable type designs for selected typologies that will receive the recovered components. 

The project will deliver type designs, both as procedural guidance and as tangible designs for selected building types. These designs aim to reduce unpredictability and mitigate the risks of circular construction. They will be assessed and analysed for their carbon footprint, and their economic viability will be evaluated in collaboration with companies interested in developing the value chain for circular building components. The intended outcome is to embed circular construction in Helsinki’s key project areas and lay the groundwork for a new circular value chain.