Caroline Henrotay

Caroline Henrotay Lecture:
Environment, implementation of innovation
18:00h
Day Three, Saturday 10 October
     
Caroline Henrotay has a master in the engineering sciences: architecture and finished her PhD in September 2008 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in the field of sustainable and reversible design.
Between 2008 and 2012 she has been working as a lecturer, researcher and project manager within the field of sustainable and affordable building design at different academic institutes (VUB, ULB, Moi University – Kenia) and as a Technical and Academic expert for NGOs (amongst which Shelter Research Unit (SRU) of the International Federation of the Red Cross).
She is working as an Engineer and project manager at Brussels Environment since 2010 and is involved in the development and support of technical expertise within the area of sustainable construction & refurbishment in the Region of Brussels Capital. Her work mainly focuses on the development of technical tools and technical studies with regard to sustainable building design. Over the years she gained a specific expertise with regard to the environmental impact of materials, building and construction waste and resource efficiency/effectiveness. 		Circular and dynamic building design – innovations along the building value chain

Brussels Environment has a strong and recognized expertise in sustainable building design and management. Buildings have a huge impact on the environment. For a long time the focus has been
on energy efficiency stimulating higher insulation levels, the use of renewable energy and energy-efficient equipment. However, besides the energy use, the materials used in building construction and refurbishment have a considerable environmental impact during the different phases of their life-cycle: production, transport, construction, use and demolition. The large amount of resources used in construction and the waste generated during construction and demolition increase the pressure on the scarcity of resources. Furthermore, the loss of value of materials once buildings are constructed and the resource dependency of Europe require an innovation and (r)evolution of the build environment.

A transition needs to be made from the consumption of resources towards a circular build environment in which resources are used and managed in sustainable and effective way. This requires new strategies and approaches for the design, use and management of buildings, building components and materials. Re-use and transformation of buildings, building component and materials as well as effective recycling and up-cycling are key to this (r)evolution. However, the transition from conventional (cradle to grave) building design towards circular and dynamic buildings is only possible if all the links of the building value chain are taken into account from material production to the use and management of buildings and their dismantling and re-use.

Developing these innovations along the construction value chain represents a system change which requires ample research, but also testing demonstration and delivering conditions for market replication, in terms of new business models, organizational models, legal and policy aspects, etc.