Sustainability Protocol for University Campuses

The proposed thesis focuses on the importance of applying circular strategies for the management of long-lived, high-use assets in the university sector, where the benefits obtained are greater than the costs; however, the assessment tools lack proper consideration of the aspects of the circular approach, especially regarding long-term durability and replacement cycles. The thesis proposes an extension to the SBTool/ITACA assessment tool to include a new circular aspect specifically designed for the university sector’s needs, in the form of a Durability and Replacement Cycles indicator (Durability Ratio) for campus building envelopes. A literature review focused on the SBTool/ITACA and CircularB COST framework for the analysis and allocation of the elements according to SBTool/ITACA enabled the diagnosis of the degree of coverage and the differences among the elements relative to the circular approach interpretation according to the framework, highlighting a key gap in Service Quality, E2: Optimisation & Maintenance. On the basis of the evidence, the result defines the approach’s scope, KPI, and reporting boundaries, then formulates an entirely Excel-based approach, which enabled the calculation of the Durability Ratio over a 50-year service life horizon based on the information available in the regulatory Legge 10 documentation used in the SBTool/ITACA assessment approach. The approach was tested on the Digital Revolution House building from the Politecnico di Torino for validity and practical suitability. The results indicate the possibility of formulating a protocol-ready Durability Ratio for campus envelopes, and that durability and replacement cycles can be calculated and reported jointly without overlaps within the SBTool/ITACA assessment approach, using documentation that is already produced for regulatory purposes.