Renovating the built environment through design for adaptability and disassembly.

Design for adaptability and disassembly is a concept for the design of buildings, common spaces[[ See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]], and infrastructures integrating circular economy[[ See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] principles for greater economic, environmental and social sustainability. It presents significant potential for the renovation of the built environment by allowing for easy adaptation of spaces and structures to changing needs and uses or technological advancements.

Renovating with modular components and elements that can be dis- and re-assembled and thereby repurposed across different applications further supports the long-term use, adaptation, and repurposing of buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures. This maximises their economic value (by retaining the embedded value of construction materials, components, and elements), improves their environmental performance (by reducing waste and the extraction of new raw materials and resources), and avoids their demolition as well as the construction of new structures.

The application of design for adaptability and disassembly has focused on new constructions. However, most structures and spaces in urban, peri-urban and rural areas have already been built and require adaptation and repurposing for new and updated uses and functions. Therefore, research should address design for adaptability and disassembly for the renovation of existing buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures.

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

• Develop at least two renovation processes, methods, and/or techniques based on design for adaptability and disassembly that enable the future adaptation and repurposing of buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures with minimal usage disruption.
• Demonstrate the developed solutions in at least two pilots in at least two Member States or Associated Countries. At least one of the pilots must target a building and at least one of the pilots must target a common space and/or an infrastructure.
• Assess the barriers (including economic, environmental, cultural, social (including related to human capital and skills), and regulatory) to the market uptake of the developed solutions compared to conventional renovation processes, methods, and techniques, and propose solutions to overcome them.
• Quantify, wherever feasible, the environmental (including whole life carbon assessments, carbon pricing, energy efficiency[[ Using tools or frameworks such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.]], ecosystem services), economic (including reduced resource consumption costs), social (including the response to changing neighbourhood[[ See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] needs), cultural (including the regeneration of cultural meanings and heritage in neighbourhoods), financial and regulatory impacts of the processes, methods, and techniques, while considering the specificities of the local context.
• Use and build on indicators provided in the European framework for sustainable buildings ‘Level(s)’[[ For additional information: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/levels_en]].(öffnet in neuem Fenster)

Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach[[ See definition on NEB working principles in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] through the integration of different actors (such as public authorities, local actors from the targeted neighbourhoods, construction project owners, developers, investors, etc.) and disciplines (such as architecture or design, (civil) engineering, etc.).

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals are expected to dedicate at least 0.2% of their total budget to share their intermediate and final results and findings with the Coordination and Support Action 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' (HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01-03).