A Territorial Construction System for a Circular Low-Carbon Built Environment

Project Information

RECONSTRUCT

Grant agreement ID: 101082265

DOI

10.3030/101082265

EC signature date 17 April 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 31 May 2027

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 6 694 967,50

EU contribution

€ 5 984 641,01

Coordinated by

INSTITUT DE TECNOLOGIA DE LA CONSTRUCCION DE CATALUNYA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RECONSTRUCT (A Territorial Construction System for a Circular Low-Carbon Built Environment)

Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The construction industry is a major contributor to global environmental challenges, responsible for over 30% of natural resource extraction, 25% of solid waste generation, and 40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A significant portion of these emissions stems from embodied carbon in materials such as cement and steel, which account for over 80% of the sector’s total embodied emissions. Current recycling practices and material efficiency measures provide limited potential for improvement.
RECONSTRUCT aims to revolutionize the construction industry by embedding circularity and low-carbon solutions into its core practices. By leveraging advanced materials, modular designs, and digital tools, the project envisions minimizing resource consumption and waste generation while fostering sustainable economic growth.
Key Objectives:
1. Develop low-carbon alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) using Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and industrial by-products.
2. Create modular, reusable construction components designed for disassembly and recycling.
3. Employ advanced digital tools such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital Twins, and Material Passports to support circular design and lifecycle management.
4. Establish regional innovation ecosystems through Circular Construction Clusters in Brussels and Barcelona.
5. Construct two full-scale demonstrator buildings to test and showcase the feasibility of circular construction.
While significant strides have been made, several tasks remain under development. These include scaling low-carbon materials to industrial production, fully integrating digital tools and advancing construction phases of the demonstrator buildings.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

AI-Based Sourcing and Characterization of CDW:
• Advanced AI tools such as Grounding DINO and Segment Anything Model (SAM) have been developed to geolocate and classify CDW using satellite, drone and CCTV data.
• Hyperspectral imaging systems were deployed for real-time material characterization, identifying resources and ensuring suitability for recycling.
• Further real-world validation of AI models and enhancements in detection accuracy are in progress.
• A decision-support tool for Urban Industrial Symbiosis (UIS) is under development, optimizing material reuse pathways.
Development of Circular Construction Materials and Components:
• Lab-scale prototypes of Alkali-Activated Cements (AAC) and Textile-Reinforced Recycled Concrete (TRRC) have been successfully developed.
• Modular components like precast façade panels, pavement blocks, and TRRC sandwich floor elements were designed for reuse and recyclability.
• Industrial-scale production processes for AAC and TRRC are being developed.
• Final formulations and recyclability studies for these materials are in progress.
Digital Tools for Circular Design:
• A Digital Product Passport and initial elements of a 6D BIM system have been developed, enabling material traceability and lifecycle optimization.
• Full integration of these tools into a comprehensive Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. Access is under definition.
• The development of a BIM-based Digital Twin for real-world applications is advancing.
Demonstrator Buildings:
• Designs for two real-scale circular demonstrator buildings in Brussels and Barcelona have been finalized.
• Further construction phases and validation of circularity strategies are planned.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Material Innovations:
• Zero Virgin Resource AACs: The project has created AACs with no virgin content by utilizing a mix of recycled and bio-based materials. These AACs are designed for 100% recyclability to outperform OPC in durability and environmental impact. Reciclability studies for feasibility are under development.
• Precast and In-Situ Construction Elements: Modular components such as precast panels, pavement blocks and in-situ cast concrete elements are being developed using AACs and recycled aggregates. These components are designed for disassembly, enabling reuse or recycling at the end of their lifecycle.
• TRRC Sandwich Panels: Lightweight sandwich panels made from TRRC have been tested and validated for use in modular flooring systems. These panels integrate recycled fibres, offering superior strength-to-weight ratios and enhanced recyclability.
AI and Digital Ecosystem Innovations:
• Hyperspectral Imaging Systems: The portable hyperspectral system developed for CDW characterization combines infrared and visible spectrum imaging with advanced machine learning models (e.g. Spectral Angle Mapper and Convolutional Neural Networks). This system detects contaminants, identifies material properties, and provides real-time predictions for waste composition, significantly improving valorisation efficiency.
• AI-Based Quantification and Classification: Advanced AI tools trained on annotated datasets provide high accuracy in geolocation, volume estimation, and classification of CDW. These tools are scalable and adaptable for diverse construction sites.
• 6D BIM and Digital Twin Applications: RECONSTRUCT is developing a dynamic BIM system linked to material passports, enabling precise tracking of material lifecycles. This integration ensures that circularity principles are embedded from the design phase to deconstruction.
Market Readiness and Scalability:
• Industrial-Scale Validation: Lab-scale innovations are being transitioned to industrial production demonstrating their scalability and market feasibility.
• Replication Potential: The methodologies and tools developed are designed to be replicable across European regions, supported by localized data inputs and regional ecosystems.
RECONSTRUCT has addressed key barriers to circular construction, including:
• Lack of systematic material recovery and upcycling practices.
• Limited adoption of digital tools for traceability and lifecycle management.

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