Restructuring Construction Thinking for Urban Material Reuse

Paper in proceeding, 2023

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a significant contributor to global waste. CDW accounts for nearly 1/3 of the total waste worldwide. Much of this is concrete, brick, and wood and is disposed in landfills or incinerated, resulting in environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Upcycling CDW is increasingly important for a sustainable waste management approach. Digitalization can play a significant role in promoting reuse of construction waste by enabling effective and efficient tracking, sorting, and processing of materials, through Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM can help identify reusable components and provide real-time data on the quantity and quality of materials available for reuse. This paper proposes the architecture of a digital platform to facilitate the CDW upcycling by connecting construction companies, material suppliers, and waste management firms.