The need for a turnaround in construction, including new, radical building typologies, stems from the extremely high CO2 emissions of the construction industry, which in turn are caused by the extremely short lifespan of modern buildings. The short lifespans can be roughly explained by the current consumer behavior of our fast-paced and profit-oriented society. While it has become a matter of course to replace goods such as furniture, clothing, cars or electronic items almost every year, the lifespan of our buildings is also dwindling.


The modern,  construction and primarily academic architecture industry is hoping for a successful turnaround in construction through circular construction practices based on a circular economy. A circular construction economy would allow the gray energy used to circulate in the form of materials, less new materials would have to be produced and less waste would be generated. However, this could also lead to faster replacement and easier substitutability of buildings, which in the worst case would fuel consumer behavior and further shorten the lifespan of buildings, components and materials. 


However, as described at the beginning, human consumer behavior and the associated short lifespan is the real cause of the problem. Buildings must not be seen as short-lived replacement products.

It is therefore necessary to define what makes buildings timeless, durable and long-lasting and how circular building practice can build on these factors.