The pavilion “Petite Maison” of the European Cultural Capital Esch'22: A case study of circular economy benefits in steel construction

“Petite Maison” is a collaborative architectural project on the theme of circularity in construction within the Esch2022, European Capital of Culture, in Luxembourg. Focusing on a similar concept, the RFCS project “REDUCE” has previously worked out the structural and environmental analysis of a modularized construction approach to evaluate and highlight the benefits of a reusable, circular steel structure. As a follow up to this project, CoCo Project (Carbon Counting and Projection) currently occupies with the determination of suitable routes to point out low‐carbon emission scenarios for the construction sector considering especially steel and steel composite solutions as well as prefabricated structural elements, which may be in concrete or timber. In other words, the project aims to demonstrate the impact of circular economy objectives in the load bearing building structures, considering majorly columns and flooring solutions containing concrete slabs, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), and steel beams. In this article, the environmental performance of Petite Maison flooring system, as a case study, is investigated in detail. Different scenarios are defined for steel elements to quantify the environmental impacts and to emphasise the benefits of modular and reusable structural components.