In March, SIRCULAR partner Dimitris Pallantzas, Building Physicist at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Head of Education at the Hellenic Passive House Institute (HPHI), spoke at the Building Materials Forum 2025 in Athens and discussed a fundamental question with the audience: “Renovation or demolition?”
In his presentation, Pallantzas explored the challenges we face when deciding how to deal with ageing or inefficient buildings. Quick, superficial renovations — what he called “soft” upgrades — often fail to deliver real energy or environmental benefits. But with the right strategy, renovation can do much more than just extend a building’s life. It can completely redefine its impact on the planet.
That’s exactly where SIRCULAR comes in. As Pallantzas explained, the project promotes deep renovation practices that prioritise circularity, sustainability, and innovative construction methods like prefabrication. At its core, SIRCULAR aims to create renovation solutions that are smarter, greener, and built to last — using sustainable, recyclable materials wherever possible. The goal isn’t just to improve individual buildings, but to reshape the entire construction sector around principles of resource efficiency and long-term resilience.
Pallantzas also shared insights from other European projects in which HPHI is involved, such as RINNO — illustrated through the Passivistas: the Tavros Project — and REN+HOMES, both of which tackle the urgent need for large-scale, energy-efficient renovations. But it was clear that SIRCULAR’s emphasis on circularity could be a game-changer, offering a practical roadmap for truly sustainable renovation.
At SIRCULAR we think that renovation isn’t just a second-best option. When guided by careful studies, the use of recyclable materials, and ambitious standards like Passive House, renovation becomes a powerful tool for fighting climate change and building a more sustainable world. In an industry often dominated by the temptation to tear down and start over, SIRCULAR is showing that there’s a smarter, greener path forward — one that respects the resources we’ve already invested, and reimagines them for the future.