Buildings Materials, Sustainability and Circular Economy. Research Project in the Island of Sardinia

Currently, the construction industry consumes annually an average of 40% of re-sources, producing about 40% of solid waste and pollution. In this context it be-comes imperative for the building sector to move towards a sustainable dimen-sion. This need for sustainability is further amplified in territories such as the is-lands, which are often particularly vulnerable to climate changes and over-dependent on fossil fuels and energy imports. Therefore, it is essential that the is-lands must be able to manage their resources in a sustainable way, in order to be-come increasingly efficient, self-sufficient and be able to protect their environ-mental heritage. In this context, the prospect of a circular economy is the best path to sustainable development in the construction sector. The present paper aims to illustrate two lines of research implemented on the island of Sardinia (Italy) with the aim of analyzing the sustainability of the production and use of local building materials in the island construction sector. In particular, the research lines study the chain of structural timber and that of recycled aggregates.