CircularREGEN. Assessment of the benefits of circularity in building renovation in Spain.

This is an ongoing four-year research project funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) and co-funded by the European Union. The project was submitted to the 2023 call for “Knowledge Generation Projects” (Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento) under the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, within the framework of the Spanish Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2021–2023.

The European Commission recognizes the significant environmental impact of the construction sector. According to its data, it is the largest energy-consuming sector (around 40%) and generates one of the highest ecological footprints in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, being responsible for 36% of energy-related emissions. In addition, the sector consumes approximately 50% of material resources and accounts for more than 35% of the total waste generated in the European Union.

The distinction between operational carbon and embodied carbon enables separate regulation of the impacts generated during a building’s use phase and those produced throughout the rest of its life cycle. While European directives have traditionally prioritized reducing emissions from the operational phase, the latest revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), adopted in 2024, introduces mandatory measures to address embodied carbon in new buildings, acknowledging the importance of impacts associated with other life cycle stages.

This project is positioned at the forefront of the new Directive, which focuses primarily on the impacts generated by new constructions. However, since the renovation of the existing building stock constitutes—and will continue to represent in the coming decades—the predominant activity in the sector, it is imperative to consider embodied carbon impacts in this context.

Through comprehensive research methodologies, this project aims to establish a reference framework for measuring the benefits of circularity within the specific context of building renovation in Spain.