Assess the Reusability Potential of Building Products in an Early Design Stage

Reusability is a key aspect to achieving the transition from a linear economy with the “take-make-dispose” principle to a circular economy that follows the “reduce-reuse-recycle” principle. A literature review and expert interviews are conducted to identify the influencing factors of reusability and its assessment criteria. A distinction is made between three pre-conditional factors (Disassembly, Toxicity and Logistics) and six non-pre-conditional influencing factors (Data management, Standardization, Quality, Financial value, Over-dimensioning and Contracting). Expert panels are conducted to verify the conceptual model built on these factors and to determine the relative importance (weights). Subsequently, an assessment tool is developed to determine building products’ reusability potential in an early stage of the building process. The tool consists of three parts: a list of product properties, the input of assessment criteria, and a weighted average for calculating the potential. It takes three steps to determine the reusability potential. The assessment tool is tested and validated using a case study, where traditional products are compared to circular products.