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Circulair Construction

Circulair construction in many forms

Circular construction can take many forms. It may be as simple as reusing certain materials, or as extensive as developing full timber projects, even including a wooden foundation, resulting in a building that is 100 percent circular.

Building Revolution guides both ends of this spectrum and everything in between.

Low MPG score

Many projects aim for a low MPG score, bringing the value below 0.5. In many situations, this makes the MIA scheme applicable under codes G6100 and G6101. With G6100, around ten percent of the additional building costs for utility and industrial projects can be reclaimed as a tax incentive. With G6101, housing projects can also qualify for ten percent of the additional costs under MIA. This creates a very appealing opportunity for investors and housing associations.

Refuse & Rethink

Consider whether alternative products or solutions could achieve the same result with a lower environmental impact.

Reduce

By designing and building with less, fewer materials are required and the overall environmental footprint decreases.

Reuse

Using a material again in its original form extends its lifespan. For example, a wooden beam reused as a wooden beam.

Repair

Restoring a product so it can be used longer reduces the need for new materials and lowers the environmental impact.

Recycle

Processing a product back into raw material so it can be applied again. This is a demanding process and often does not result in complete reuse.

Recover

Extracting energy from a product, for example through incineration. This is the least sustainable option.

Residential and non residential projects

Circular buildings can be developed for both residential and non residential projects, including industrial buildings. Both residential and non residential projects may qualify for MIA. For more details, please refer to the Subsidy section. Building Revolution works with software from One Click LCA, which is always directly connected to the NMD database. In the Netherlands, the NMD database is the only permitted source. All building materials and products within the NMD are based on an LCA or EPD that has been independently verified. Each material in the database includes a data sheet with a score expressed in euro per kilogram, meter, square meter or cubic meter.

Nationale Milieudatabase (NMD)

The Nationale Milieudatabase contains environmental declarations for construction products and materials. Each declaration describes the product with basic information such as name, lifespan and functional unit, combined with environmental data based on a life cycle assessment. The Dutch assessment method for environmental performance of buildings determines which environmental data are required for inclusion in the NMD.

Category 3

These are generic material sheets. Assumptions are made during the calculation, which leads to a mandatory thirty percent increase on the score. For example, a hollow core slab of 200 millimeters in precast concrete C30/37 with a score of €7.345 per square meter.

Category 2

These sheets are industry specific and may only be used by members of the relevant industry organisation. Examples include Betonhuis, Nemo and Vekudak. For instance, a hollow core slab floor from AB FAB, precast at 150 millimeters and certified by Betonhuis, scores €3.05 per square meter.

Category 1

These sheets are supplier specific. They may only be used when the project demonstrably uses that exact product from that exact supplier. Examples include Kingspan, Tonzon, Dawo, VBI, Falk, Isobouw, Knauf, Rockwool, Stora Enso and Derix. For example, a VBI Groen hollow core slab floor, precast at 150 millimeters and certified by VBI, scores €2.86 per square meter.

As seen in the example of the channel slab, the more specific the LCA/EPD is known, the lower the score becomes. Through our experience with materials and suppliers, we are often able to achieve a better score. Building Revolution has extensive experience in this field and can often make a project more circular by recommending alternative brands or materials. This may increase the material price, but it often ensures that the MIA requirements are met, allowing the tax benefit to compensate for the additional cost.

BCI Building

BCI Building assigns a circularity score. The BCI is made up of an LI and an MCI. Building Revolution prepares and validates all calculations.