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The building sector, as a major consumer of energy and resources, has been slow to adopt sustainability and digitalization compared to other sectors. This dissertation investigates how digital tools, particularly computational design (CD), can support the reuse of building parts within a circular economy framework, through design for disassembly and reuse-centred design (RCD) strategies. The research highlights the growing importance of layer-based design, industrialized construction and reversible connectors in enhancing the adaptability and longevity of buildings. However, significant technical and cultural challenges hinder the widespread adoption of reuse strategies, including the constraint of designing by availability, lack of classification systems, competency gaps and resistance to new workflows.

The research employs a mixed-methods approach to identify key challenges and opportunities in implementing RCD with CD tools. The findings indicate that while CD can optimize reuse strategies, automate building parts selection and facilitate design iteration, its integration into architectural practice remains underexplored. The research identifies emerging roles, such as data miners, augmented architects and circular material specialists, necessary to bridge the gap between traditional building practices and a digitally driven, circular construction model. Furthermore, the lack of structured data management, including material passports and digital inventories, remains a barrier to the adoption of reuse strategies.

The research highlights several soft aspects influencing the adoption of CD in RCD. These include the balance between increased design speed and long-term quality, the trade-offs between automation and creativity and the evolving aesthetic considerations in reuse-based architecture. While computational tools enable rapid prototyping and building parts selection, there is a risk of standardized, homogeneous design outcomes. Yet, CD can enhance craftsmanship, particularly in the detailing of joinery and connections, adding value to architectural design while supporting circular principles.

By first addressing the challenges of reuse in design, then exploring the implications of adopting CD to support RCD and finally examining how to integrate CD methodologies into RCD strategies, this research contributes to sustainable development goals by promoting a transition from a linear to a circular construction model. The implications extend to education, professional training and sector practices, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and digital infrastructure to enable the transition. The findings provide a foundation for further discussion on how policy innovations and AI-driven design solutions can accelerate the adoption of RCD strategies in the building sector.

This research concludes that CD has the potential to act as a catalyst for circularity in architecture, as long as the sector embraces new skills, collaborative processes and data-driven decision-making to optimize reuse at scale.