Observaties over typologie — typologische strategieën voor hergebruik in architectuurpraktijk en onderwijs

The focus of recent sustainable strategies in architecture has shifted towards a circular building economy. This has become one of the main topics in the construction sector. The aim is to reduce the global consumption of raw materials and to limit waste production. Applied to the building industry, this approach considers the building as a 'database' of materials—a temporary stock of elements that can be dismantled and re-used in all its different parts. Calculating systems have been devised to measure the impact of a building, reducing it to a number representing its carbon footprint. A shift has to be made from the linear waste economy to a circular system with a minimum of wasted energy. Aside from the necessity of re-evaluating the energy consumption and the materials used in the building process, it is clear that a narrow focus on these material aspects alone will not solve the problems of sustainability linked to the making of the built environment. I want to research ways of creating a resilient structure that is both flexible and highly specific. Within the scope of this Phd I intend to give a historical overview of theory and design concerning this topic. Additionally I will define strategies to conceive new flexible structures or intervene in existing buildings.