**2. Circular economy in buildings**

The consumption rate of natural resources is at twice the rate they are produced, and it would be three times by 2050 [14]. To minimize the rising demand for natural resources, pressure is increasing on the built environment. Ellen MacArthur foundation

### *Circular Economy in Buildings DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107098*

generated a circular approach to building materials to reuse the resources and reduce the carbon footprint. According to the Eurostat waste statistics (2011) [6], 60% of the total waste is not recycled, composted, or reused. A continuous loop of material use, repair and recycling can retain their optimum intrinsic value and this circular process of using materials can reduce waste and carbon emission [15]. The aim of the circular economy strategy is to maximize the potentialities of the materials and utilization of available resources through the circular flow of building materials, decreasing waste, reduction of primary resource consumption, and environmental burden [6]. To ensure material sustainability and reduce embodied energy, the circular economy is significant to consider in any building design phase [16].

High-rise buildings are often associated with higher initial embodied energy [11]. Embodied energy (EE) is defined as the total energy used for the production, transportation, and installation of building material [11]. Ellen Macarthur Foundation [6, 14] proposed eco-effectiveness of building materials which will create metabolism to use the material repeatedly at a high level of quality. Using the material repeatedly can increase the quality of environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social equity at different levels like cities and nations [17].
