Background

The reuse of building components, particularly reinforced concrete, is central to a resource-efficient and climate-neutral construction industry, as the production of cement alone accounts for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (WWF Germany, 2019). However, the reuse of building components remains a challenge due to a lack of standardized and reliable information on their condition. Without transparent documentation, the technical, regulatory, and economic assessment of reused products is difficult, which hinders market entry (BBSR, 2021).

Objective

The project aims to develop a digital assessment system that analyzes the reusability of building components, with a focus on reinforced concrete components for existing buildings. AI-supported analyses as well as economic and ecological assessments are incorporated into a digital product passport and planning tools to enable data-driven decisions regarding recertification and reuse. In addition, the foundations are being laid for circular business models and the integration of reused building components into BIM environments for circular planning. The focus is on the preparation and integration of relevant digital product passport (DPP) information into digital building models and secondary market processes.

Website 

https://concircle.tech/

Involved DSI Researchers

Dr. Philipp Spitzer

Moritz Diener 

Nidhi Mishra