Buildings are physical, static, and permanent. To imagine them otherwise often requires some creative thinking. The industry has operated with this strong association between structures and permanence, unknowingly constraining perspectives on building life cycles. Innovations in building materials have opened up avenues for cirular design that challenge the long-held notion that buildings must endure indefinitely. Emerging approaches promote architecture that ebbs and flows with nature.
From the pyramids of Giza to the glass towers of Manhattan, civilization has built monuments to its immortality. Material innovation has been a reflection of the desire to build towards longevity - concrete cures to maximum strength, steel resists corrosion, and glass withstands decades of exposure. The drive to build for eternity, however, comes at an environmental cost.
