If reality were solely based on Linkedin announcements, design biennials, and conferences, you’d think design and architecture are nearing perfection in terms of complete sustainable design. In contrast, the actual practice of circular building is messy, complicated, stacked with dilemmas, and still far from achieving its goals. This guide helps readers and designers untangle the intricate web of interlocking issues that keep us from realizing most of our ambitions. It takes an inside-out approach to architecture, starting from the interior. This is particularly important as interiors are characterized by high turnover rates, driven by trends, and consist of highly customized components made from a variety of materials, making implementing circular principles even more challenging.

Organized into three levels of expertise – beginner, intermediate, and expert – this guide will help you navigate circular design based on your own practice and experience. This structure is linked to three in-depth circular interior design case studies featuring interviews with different actors involved in the projects. From clients to contractors, designers, architects, makers, sustainability accountants, and demolition crews, they all pinch in and share their learnings.

Additional contributions delve into key findings from the interviews and look in depth at circular calculation tools, developments in bio-based materials, as well as the role of cleaning and maintenance culture, financial models, and the importance of adapting our understanding of aesthetics