Recovery and reuse of structural products from end-of-life buildings

YesBuildings and construction have been identified as having the greatest potential for circular economy value creation. One source of value creation is to recover and reuse building products from end-of-service-life buildings, rather than destructive demolition and downcycling. While there is a trade in non-structural and heritage product recovery and reuse, the largest volume, mass and value of most buildings comprise structural elements – concrete, brick and masonry, and steel – which present many challenges. A comprehensive literature review confirms limited attention to innovation and advanced techniques to address these challenges and therefore the potential reuse of the stocks of accumulated building products globally and associated environmental benefits. Potential techniques being tested in an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council circular economy research programme are referenced as a key building block towards circular economy building system redesign.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - research project Rebuild (EPSRC EP/P008917/1

Twitching Laborious Play or : How Game-Streaming Changes Modes of Playing

The twitch gaming event is a multifaceted and multilayered participatory act, linking economic interests of platform owners, game industry and gamers with modes of playing games – a development that engenders gaming – especially twitch gaming – as a new form of ‘work’. In this paper, we will make an effort to develop a frame by which the interconnections between actors like media specific aspects of live-streaming, the aesthetic of performing – such as ‘self-portrayal’ and maintaining a ‘screen persona’ by the streamers –,mediatechnical equipment as well as social interactions with the audience and, last but not least, economic interests become entangled to produce what we call a ‘live-streamed gaming event (Giddings 2008)’ or, to put it simple, twitch.publishe