European context
The EC’s “Construction Products Regulations” stipulates under basic work requirement 7, that construction works must be designed, built and demolished in such a way that the use of natural resources is sustainable and in particular, ensure:
(a) reuse and recyclability of the construction works, their materials and parts after demolition;
(b) the durability of the construction works and (c) use of environmentally compatible raw and secondary materials in the construction works.
In order to meet the above requirements, the EC fosters the communications and initiatives:
(a) “Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe”;
(b) the “European Resource Efficiency Platform”;
(c) the “Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe”;
(d) the “Resource efficiency opportunities in the building sector”.
National context, political strategy, and Smart Specialisation Strategy
The project is in line with recommendations of the strategic study presented by the Ministry of the Economy, the Chamber of Commerce and IMS Luxembourg in November 2016 in the framework of the Third Industrial Revolution Consultation Process: “In line with the conclusions of the pillar of the building, the energy pillar recommends establishing a national strategy for defining the criteria of an energy efficient, smart, sustainable and circular building as well as crafting a comprehensive certificate including the different indicators. This role and responsibility could be given to the “Conseil National de la Construction Durable (CNCD)”, whose vision is to help shape a more sustainable future and ensure the competitiveness of the Luxembourg construction sector through the development of its competences in the area of sustainable construction”. Furthermore, under Buildings-Proposals-3.0 Introduce integral and sustainable concepts in the construction sector the RDI recommendation of the complete document of the strategic study is to: Introduce circularity with the development of a “material bank for buildings” and under 4.0 Build up “Intensity” lighthouse projects the RDI recommendation to: Develop the University of Luxembourg as a Third Industrial Revolution (TIR) living lab.
The project is also in line with the “Luxembourg Strategy for Smart Specialisation (30 October 2014)” where in chapter 3.3.3 the reinforcement of cooperation of private sector with existing and future centers of excellence, particularly in the area of sustainable construction and materials, is explicitly mentioned as one of the pillars. In addition, chapter 4.1.4.1 mentions the aim to set up skills for a center of sustainable construction, tasked with developing a strategic research programme.
Institutional context and strategy (UL)
The research project is in line with the scientific objectives of UL as it allows “to perform cutting-edge research in science and engineering on an internationally leading level and to integrate doctoral candidates into scientific and/or industrial networks and to help candidates interested in commercially applied research to identify opportunities for and facilitate/promote technology transfer between academia and industry” (Framework of the FSTM Doctoral School in Science and Engineering (DSSE)).
