Wood-Based Hybrid Construction and Circular Economy: A Three-Level Framework for Component, System, and Building Design

Hybrid construction is a key strategy for increasing the use of wood in contemporary buildings while meeting structural and regulatory requirements, particularly as building-level carbon reporting and embodied-carbon requirements are becoming increasingly important in Finland and other regulatory contexts. This study aims to examine how wood-based hybrid construction can be systematically structured to support low-carbon and circular building practice, distinguishing single component level, system level, and building level strategies. This research builds on a research, development, and education learning materials project at Tampere University and adopts a qualitative, non-experimental methodology based on a structured synthesis of peer-reviewed literature, technical sources, and documented application examples. The main contribution of this study is a three-level decision-support framework that clarifies how wood-based hybridization can be evaluated across different design scales in relation to structural performance, circular economy mechanisms, and early-stage design decision-making. The results suggest that hybridization effectiveness is scale-dependent, that higher hybridization levels may provide broader strategic opportunities for regulatory alignment and lifecycle-oriented design when supported by appropriate system configuration, and that circular economy performance depends on connection logic, adaptability, and material separability rather than material choice alone. The findings provide a practical reference for architectural design, professional practice, and education.