Upcycling dei materiali del patrimonio architettonico nella progettazione circolare-Upcycling of heritage materials in circular design

The work describes the principles and tools supporting the circular design of new buildings according to the guidelines recently adopted in the European Union, highlighting the potential for integration between heritage conservation and sustainable building design. Circular construction design introduces a new vision of construction as a set of functional components composed by materials that can be easily assembled and disassembled. The digitalisation of information with the support of BIM makes possible to have a passport for both the construction and its materials, in which all the performance characteristics and transformations undergone during the entire life cycle are recorded. The digital identity of the materials together with innovative deconstruction practices extends the life of the materials beyond the useful life of the construction, which at the end of its life becomes a source of materials for new constructions. The materials circularity reduces the amount of demolition rubble and promotes economies of scale based on recycling and valorisation of architectural heritage materials. The up cycling of heritage materials can turn the loss of the building into a potential gain, opening new scenarios for creative design of sustainable constructions that go beyond the timeline and the confinement of the place in an endless history of use, deconstruction, and reuse.