A territorial construction system for a circular low-carbon built environment

RECONSTRUCT

The RECONSTRUCT project addresses crucial challenges in the construction industry, primarily high resource consumption and waste generation. The sector is responsible for over 30% of global resource extraction and about 25% of solid waste. This excessive consumption and waste production are unsustainable in the face of global environmental goals.

A significant issue is the industry's greenhouse gas emissions, contributing about 40% of global emissions, largely due to embodied carbon in materials like cement and steel. These materials alone account for over 80% of the total embodied GHGs in construction. Furthermore, the low recycling rate of construction waste back into building materials highlights a gap in material efficiency and recycling practices.

Facing an ageing and expanding infrastructure, Europe needs innovative solutions. RECONSTRUCT aims to transform the industry by introducing sustainable practices, focusing on reducing waste during construction, using industrial and demolition waste in new building materials, and digitising the life-cycle of materials for better management and reduced environmental impact. This project is vital for transitioning the construction sector towards a more circular, low-carbon model, crucial for meeting global sustainable development goals.

The RECONSTRUCT project is innovatively addressing the sustainability challenges in the construction industry. Central to this initiative is the development of waste-based, very low-carbon alternatives to traditional materials such as cement and steel. This approach aims to significantly reduce the industry's carbon footprint by integrating recycled and bio-based materials.

In addition, the project emphasises the design of construction components that are removable, repairable, and reusable. This strategy extends the life-cycle of materials, promoting a circular approach in construction, thereby reducing waste. The design of these components focuses on efficiency and sustainability, ensuring that new buildings are both environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Another key element of RECONSTRUCT is the digitisation of the entire life-cycle of construction materials. This digital approach enables the tracking and sharing of material information and facilitates the simulation of a building's environmental performance under various scenarios. This aspect of the project represents a significant advancement towards smarter, more sustainable construction practices.

To demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of these solutions, the project plans to construct real-scale demonstrators and apply the techniques in commercial projects. This hands-on approach is crucial for showcasing the feasibility of the proposed solutions in real-world scenarios.

Through these innovative strategies, RECONSTRUCT is poised to make a transformative impact on the construction industry. The project aims for a dramatic reduction in material waste during construction, development of materials with minimal virgin content, a reduction in the carbon footprint of buildings, and an increase in recycling rates. These goals align closely with global sustainability objectives, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible construction sector.

The RECONSTRUCT project's research is set to bring substantial changes beyond academia, notably in the construction industry. By developing low-carbon, recyclable, and reusable materials, it aims to significantly reduce the environmental impact of construction activities, leading to a marked decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and waste. This shift will directly benefit building professionals and developers, enabling them to adopt more sustainable construction practices and meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly buildings.

Additionally, the innovations from this project can influence policy making and regulatory frameworks, encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly practices in construction. The implications of this research extend to local communities and urban areas, where the use of sustainable materials and designs can lead to healthier, more sustainable living environments. Overall, the RECONSTRUCT project is poised to contribute significantly to global sustainability and circularity efforts, affecting not only the construction sector but also the broader environmental landscape and public well-being.

In the RECONSTRUCT project, the role of the Brunel Innovation Centre (BIC) is focused on image processing techniques and the collection of imaging data. Their involvement is crucial in the development and testing phases of the project, where their expertise in image processing contributes significantly to the overall progress and success of RECONSTRUCT. BIC's work helps in the effective analysis and evaluation of construction materials and processes, playing a vital role in advancing the project's objectives towards sustainable and circular construction practices as part of WP1.

Project partners

The project is being carried out in collaboration with the following partners.

• INSTITUT DE TECNOLOGIA DE LA CONSTRUCCION DE CATALUNYA (ITEC)
• HOLLAND COMPOSITES BV (HOL)
• ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL DE INVESTIGACION TECNOLOGICO DE LA CONSTRUCCION REGION DE MURCIA, CENTRO (CTC)
• SIMBIOSY SIMBIOSI INDUSTRIAL SL (SYM)
• UNIVERSITA POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE (UNIVPM)
• COMSA SAU (COM)
• TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY (TEE)
• IRIS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS SOCIEDAD LIMITADA (IRIS)
• ACSA OBRAS E INFRAESTRUCTURAS SAU (SORIGUE)
• BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDON (BUL)
• VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL (VUB)
• SOCIETAT ORGÀNICA + 10 SCCL (SOO)
• INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS (ICCS)
• FONDAZIONE ICONS (ICO)
• INSTITUT CATALA DEL SOL (INC)
• GREEN ENERGY PARK (GEP)

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Dr Evelyne El Masri - Head of Brunel Innovation Centre Lead on all Technical and Business Development activities of the Centre

Related Research Group(s)

Brunel Innovation Centre - A world-class research and technology centre that sits between the knowledge base and industry.

Project last modified 18/01/2024