Design for Disassembly as a Circular Design Strategy: Toward an Environmental and Economic Assessment of Single-Family Houses

The building and construction sector is one of the most impactful for the environment, contributing to high CO2 emissions, waste generation, and raw material consumption. Design for Disassembly (DfD) emerges as a promising circular economy strategy to enable material reuse and extend the building life- cycle. However, to the best of the author’s knowledge, its large scale implemen- tation, especially in the residential sector, remains underex-plored. This study aims to assess the environmental and economic impacts of applying DfD prin- ciples to single-family houses, which constitute a pre-dominant segment of the European building stock. Using a research design integrating Life Cycle Assess- ment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies, the study evaluates different technological scenarios ranging from traditional construction to vary- ing levels of DfD integration. Currently, a representative building typology has been developed based on Europe-an data and modeled in a Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment, allowing detailed material quantification. The next steps will involve implementing the LCA and LCC analyses. Evidence from the literature suggests that while DfD enhances circularity and resource efficiency, its economic feasibility may remain a challenge due to high initial costs and mar- ket constraints. This research could contribute valuable data to inform sectoral policies and macroeconomic models supporting sustainable building strategies.