The chronogram Circular Design Principles: Between Theory and Practice, maps out the range of solutions that have been formulated over the past centuries, to mitigate the environmental impact of the enormous material throughput of modern, industrialised construction practices, commonly labeled as ‘linear’. It explicitly acknowledges the gap between theoretical discourses on circularity and material efficiency on the one hand, and real-world practices of raw material consumption and waste disposal on the other. It is structured around this duality, with aspirational goals presented as text against a backdrop of material conditions depicted through icons and four landscape sections. 

The timeline primarily focuses on technological evolutions, building practices, and theoretical concepts from the West, with most events and projects occurring in European and North American contexts. We don’t posit this context as more important than others, but it happens to be the one we, from our own situated perspective, are most familiar with. This diagram has no pretense at being global. Indeed, the best attempts at restoring some degree of circularity to the building sector are predicated on being grounded in a local context.

The Chronogram was produced at the request of the Jencks Foundation and E-Flux Architecture. Together with the other chronograms produced between 2022 and 2025, it will be exhibited at CIVA in Brussels between May 14 and September 28, 2025 (see here); and afterwards at various locations worldwide. The catalog, Chronograms of Architecture is published by CIVA, e-flux architecture and Jencks Foundation at The Cosmic House and Spector Books.

Content: Lionel Devlieger, Michaël Ghyoot, Adam Przywara, Karen Steukers, Arne Vande Capelle, Louise Vanhee 
Graphic design: Moulay Guissé, Stijn Colon, Robbe Van der Mynsbrugge, Louise Vanhee
Curators of the exhibition: Nick Axel, Silvia Franceschini, Nikolaus Hirsch, Lily Jencks, Eszter Steierhoffer