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INTEGRATED, CIRCULAR, AND DIGITALLY SUPPORTED SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR WASTE MINIMIZATION AND CARBON CAPTURE IN BUILDINGS AND THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Rebuilding construction industry’s sustainability landscape

The construction sector’s colossal environmental footprint poses a significant challenge in the EU. The sector is responsible for 35 % of waste generation, while consuming 50 % of extracted resources and emitting up to 12 % of greenhouse gases. In this context, the EU-funded WOODCIRCLES project aims to pioneer circular solutions for sustainable wood construction. This will reduce Europe’s reliance on non-renewable resources, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and minimising waste. With an expert consortium and innovative approaches, WOODCIRCLES seeks to revolutionise construction, making it eco-friendlier and more efficient. For instance, with an ‘urban sawmill’ and digital twins, WOODCIRCLES will usher in a new era of eco-conscious construction, benefitting both the environment and the economy.

Objective

The construction sector is responsible for over 35% of the EU’s total waste generation, and accounts for about 50% of all extracted resources and an estimated at 5-12% of total GHG emissions. WOODCIRCLES will contribute significantly to decreasing these numbers by developing innovative circular solutions for sustainable wood construction to help reduce Europe’s dependence on non-renewable resources, cut GHG emissions, reduce waste generation, and offer long-term carbon sinks and substitution of fossil-based and carbon-intensive products. WOODCIRCLES will combine the considerable innovation power of the expert consortium consisting of key stakeholders from all parts of the value chain to release the full circular and sustainable potential of wood construction. Based on identified needs and market potentials, the consortium will develop new value-added value chains for upcycling of wood waste materials and optimized design-for-disassembly building system solutions to significantly increase recycling rates of wood in construction. An ‘Urban Sawmill’ sorting and production facility capable of turning in-homogenous low value wood construction waste into a standardized homogenous value-added, cost-effective baseline product, will be prototyped. WOODCIRCLES will integrate digital tools and solutions in all developments and create digital twins for the large-scale, real-life demonstrators – the Urban Sawmill and the building system prototypes to demonstrate the benefits of digital technology for circular construction. Active involvement of partner cities and their building ecosystems through technical and thematic co-engagement activities will increase deployment. All developed materials, components and system prototypes will be demonstrated, piloted and fully documented – including sustainability assessment – for immediate market uptake. Based on developments, recommendations for new or updated European harmonised technical specifications and Eurocodes will be provided.

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Call for proposal

HORIZON-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-02-two-stage

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Funding Scheme

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

Coordinator

TEKNOLOGISK INSTITUT
Net EU contribution
€ 1 436 212,50
Address
GREGERSENSVEJ 1
2630 Taastrup
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Københavns omegn
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost
€ 1 436 212,50

Participants (18)

Partners (2)

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Last update: 18 September 2023

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101082184

European Union, 2024