Society is currently facing major challenges. There is an urgent need in a sustainable use of renewable resources and in adopting circular thinking and acting. Building with wood can make a significant contribution to this, yet despite its great potential, circular approaches are still rarely applied. This is where the CCTP steps in with its ‘circular time lab’ project. Here, the next generation of the architecture and timber industries is actively engaged in developing and testing circular practices within a hands-on, interdisciplinary time-lapse laboratory.

The construction industry has a significant impact on our environment. According to the United Nations, it accounts for roughly 40 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions and over half of global resource consumption. However, mitigating greenhouse gases in construction doesn’t only involve enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings. It also involves curbing emissions by selecting sustainable construction methods and materials across production, use, and disposal phases. In the light of planetary boundaries, it’s essential to reduce our primary resource consumption and maximize the longevity of construction materials within the material cycle. Therefore, embracing circular economy and re-use principles should become integral to future practices.

With wood as a resource, the construction industry not only has a material that can make a significant contribution to climate stabilisation by replacing fossil, energy-intensive and emission-intensive building materials, but also a material with great potential for circularity. Despite these strengths and the urgency of the resource and CO2 issue, circular approaches in timber construction are hardly applied in construction practice. Currently, most of the wood is still thermally utilized after the end of its first life cycle, often resulting in the wastage of valuable material resources. While wood is a renewable resource, it is not infinitely available. Careful handling of this material is the order of the day.

At this juncture, the ‘circular time lab’ project comes into play. It aims to elevate the importance of the circular economy in the architecture and timber industries, particularly by promoting circular thinking among young professionals. To achieve this, it provides space for innovation and a platform to experimentally test the implementation of circular practices. This approach sensitizes the next generation to a careful use of resources within their learning and training context.

The idea behind ‘circular time lab’ is for young people of all educational levels to plan and implement small timber construction projects in an interdisciplinary team setting, engaging in a hands-on experience that at the same time gains public attention.

The concept is based on the principle of a time-lapse laboratory. The constructed objects serve an interim use and are dismantled after one year. Only components and materials previously used within the ‘Challenge’, ‘reclaimed’ from other objects, or declared as waste from production are permitted for use. The following year, a new team initiates the dismantling process, embarking on a different project with a different purpose and location.

The concentrated reuse of components and materials allows for the immediate testing of circular planning and construction methods and gaining insights in practice. Moreover, it enables the gathering of crucial experiences, sharing them, and bringing them back into the industry.

As part of the ‘circular time lab’, the small-scale constructions are intentionally implemented on public land, or visible and accessible to the public. In doing so, they not only provide a temporary value to the community through their respective use but also make circular construction practices a living experience.

A consistent digital processing and documentation also ensure the traceability and future reuse of all components and materials. Beyond internal project use, a digital platform enables engaging communication with the broader public. By narrating the stories of the components and objects, the fascination for circular construction and the exchange of experiences and challenges are promoted. Ultimately, this lays the groundwork for the future commonplace application in subsequent construction projects and the necessary expertise.

Currently, the project is in the process of developing the first implementation, scheduled for spring 2025. The concept of the ‘circular time lab’ has been analysed and refined through several workshops involving interested representatives from the industry. The experimental framework and innovative time-lapse nature of the ‘Challenge’ have encountered significant interest.

The project is led by the Center for Typology & Planning in Architecture (CCTP) at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, School of Engineering & Architecture. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry (lawa) of the Canton of Lucerne supports the development and implementation. The ‘circular time lab’ is realized within the Alpine Space project ‘BAUHALPS’.

Project organisation

Project management
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Engineering & Architecture, IAR;
Project Manager Pascal Wacker

Project team
Pascal Wacker, Predrag Bekcic, Sonja Geier

Supported by
Canton of Lucerne – Department of Agriculture and Forestry (lawa)

Project duration 2024 – 2027

Contact

Pascal Wacker
Project Manager
Competence Centre Typology & Planning in Architecture (CCTP)
pascal.wacker@hslu.ch