CIRCULAR DESIGN IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Seminar Faculty: Ignasi Cubiñá, Ariane Lima, Sofía Battistino & María Colantoni

Credits: Sócrates Building, Viladecans. Photo: Aldo Amoreti

The circular economy requires a whole new approach to architecture and process design. The new economic paradigm embraced by the EU and many other countries and industries in the world presents a unique opportunity to rethink the way we build, manage and use buildings as well as the relations we establish along the way.
There are several attempts to understand how this system approach can be applied to architecture and to urbanism. All of them agree on modularity and product cyclability as pillars but this lead to the problem of how to manage them in periods that may arrive to more than 50 years of use.
There are several tools available and evolving to help solving this problem as well as strategies to address circular design and dismantling. We will explore them during the seminar.

Learning Objectives
At course completion the student will:

– Be able to search safe and circular products;
– Be able to consider circular methodologies and impact metrics;
– Understand the importance of the circular management;
– Plan the dismantling according to the expected use cycle and manage it through the existing platforms;
– Identify the main actors of the circular ecosystem of the building;
– Make relations between the buildings and its surrounding environment considering the circular concept.

Faculty

Ignasi Cubiñá is a biologist by education, since 2005 he’s been dedicated to implement and innovate in the circular economy, based on the Cradle to Cradle principles.
Director and co-founder at Eco Intelligent Growth, also acts as Innovation Advisor for Grupo Construcia, leading the development of new methodologies, tools and metrics for the circular economy.
His leadership in this area brought him to international forums like TED talk, Futurebuild, Wastebuild, Smart Chemistry, Smart Cities, and many others, as well as collaborations with several Universities.
Links:
ecointelligentgrowth.net
Twitter: @icubi
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ignasi-cubiña-47923511


Ariane Lima is an architect and environmental manager. She is a Senior Consultant at EIG and helps to foster circularity and sustainability on built environment projects. With a multidisciplinary and transversal profile, her experience working in different fields of Architecture empowers her global vision on Real Estate projects. Her major expertise resides in the health building materials area and the strategies for the optimization of health and well-being in indoor spaces.
Links:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aplariane


Sofía Battistino: Industrial engineer and IT business analyst with experience in the automotive industry and development services, Sofía is the Circular Business Digital Manager at EIG.
With a great capacity for management and coordination, she has developed and develops complex implementation projects of new digital environments.
Her training in social entrepreneurship allows her to combine management with innovation within the framework of the positive impact on people and the economy.
Links:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sofía-battistino-310b94142


María Colantoni: Trained in Fine Arts, marketing, and communication, she worked in the music industry for international companies before joining EIG’s team in 2008.
Since then, she has been responsible for the contents and event creation and coordination at EIG, as well as design and performance of educational programs.
She participated also as speaker and moderator in events like Smart Cities, Construmat, Barcelona Circular City, among others.
Links:
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mariacolantoni