Buildings are being demolished without taking into the account the waste generated, and the housing shortage problem is getting more critical as cities are growing and the demand for built space and the use of resources are increasing. Architectural projects have been using prefabrication and modular systems to solve these problems. However, there is an absence of structures that can be disassembled and reused when the structure’s life ran its course. This paper presents three building prototypes of new recyclable architectural typologies: (i) a Slab prototype designed as a shelf structure where wooden housing modules can be plugged in and out, (ii) a Tower prototype allowing for an easy change of layout and use of different floors and (iii) a Demountable prototype characterized by the entire demount ability of the building. These typologies combine modularity, flexibility, and disassembling to address the increasing demands for multi-use, re-usable and resource-efficient constructions. Design, drawings, plans, and 3D models are developed, tested and analyzed as a part of the research. The results show that the implementation of the recyclable architectural concept at the first design stage is feasible and realistic, and ensures the adaptation through time, increases life span, usability and the material reusability, while avoiding demolition, which in turn reduces the construction waste and, consequently, the CO2 emissions.

Buildings are places where people spend most of their lives. According to the United Nations , 1.7 billion people, which are 23% of the world’s population, lived in a city with at least 1 million inhabitants in 2018. It is estimated that the world’s population will reach 9.8 billion people in 2050, leading to a growth of high-rise building construction in cities in order to provide work and habitation spaces required by the ever growing population. Undoubtedly, the building construction industry is responsible for a significant amount of global resource consumption and demand for natural resources will increase with the population growth in the future. Apart from that, the building industry accounts for more than 50% of the global energy use and over 35% of CO2 emissions. This implies that the building industry is having an enormous impact on the environment and is responsible for a misuse of a significant amount of natural resources and the generation of waste. Therefore, resource and waste management has become an important issue around the world.