All information about the availability and characteristics of used building components on one platform — that’s the envisioned outcome of the UPSCALE research project. Including the required behavioral changes and business models. “There’s no shortage of circular initiatives in construction, but they don’t yet lead to systemic change,” say Krista van Zandwijk (TU/e) and Bart den Otter (ABN AMRO) in the podcast series Circulaire Versnellers. (note: podcast in Dutch)

“We can solve just over 50% of climate change through the energy transition — the rest has to come from materials,” explains Bart den Otter, Head of Nature at ABN AMRO. “The construction sector is responsible for 50% of all raw material use and 35% of all generated waste. So there’s a lot to gain here,” adds Krista van Zandwijk, PhD candidate in the Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology.
“We recycle a lot of construction and demolition materials, but that process uses energy. By reusing existing building components, we retain their value.”

A Holistic Approach

“There are countless promising circular initiatives for reuse, but they’re often too one-dimensional,” Van Zandwijk continues. “That’s why we chose a holistic approach in this project — we look at technology, behavior, and economics as one integrated system.” This is done in a consortium of scientists and practice partners, working across four demonstration sites: from a sustainable construction hub, a social housing concept, and a circular pavilion to the sustainable renovation of “De Fop,” ABN AMRO’s new headquarters on Foppingadreef in Amsterdam.

Under the umbrella of “technology,” the team explores possibilities for a decentralized digital infrastructure — such as a platform with a central user interface that gives access to all decentrally stored information about used building components. What’s available? Where do components come from? How have they been used and modified throughout their life cycle?

Van Zandwijk: “That means collecting a lot of detailed data — from the insulation inside a wall to the type of paint on the exterior. It’s one of the biggest challenges in the project, because this information is often missing, not digitized, or scattered across various sources.”

Behavioral Shifts and Business Models

For such a system to function, behavioral changes are also essential. Van Zandwijk: “Construction workers, for instance, would need to record what materials they use and how. We’re exploring what’s needed for that — like a material passport that is automatically updated using Internet of Things sensors. And how do we transition from linear to circular business models? For example, can we tax labor less and materials more, so that reuse becomes more attractive than demolition?”

De Fop

At De Fop, the team primarily investigates how to monitor such a large-scale circular renovation — with roughly 500 construction workers on-site on an average workday — using digital innovations. Den Otter: “De Fop dates from the 1980s. To reuse it as our headquarters, we faced a choice: demolish or renovate. We chose renovation, aiming to preserve as many existing materials as possible. Keeping the concrete shell alone already retains 50–60% of the materials because of concrete’s large environmental footprint. The rest of the building will be finished as circularly as possible. Materials that can’t be reused in De Fop will be donated to other buildings — transitioning from so-called donor to recipient buildings.”

De Fop as described by Bart den Otter in the podcast.

Van Zandwijk: “One of the biggest challenges at De Fop is motivating 500 workers each day to register the status of their materials in a materials passport. And how do you encourage them to share that information transparently with other parties? In this project they may be colleagues, but in another they could be competitors. A small mistake in documentation can sometimes result in high costs due to liability issues. That’s something we’ll also need to address in the business models.”

Refreshing and Insightful

UPSCALE launched in June 2024 and will run for four more years — so it’s still too early for final solutions. Van Zandwijk: “Still, we already see the added value of a holistic and interdisciplinary approach. The answers don’t lie solely within your own field. For instance, by working with behavioral experts, I now view the interface of our platform in a completely different light.”

Den Otter: “In business, we’re deeply rooted in practice, but there’s often little time for reflection. Academia conducts thorough research and objectively assesses the impact of our work — including at De Fop. Bringing those two worlds together is already leading to refreshing and valuable insights.”

Podcast: Circulaire Versnellers How can researchers and practitioners work together to speed up the transition to a circular society? In this three-part podcast series, we explore three promising research projects tackling exactly that challenge. Each one focuses on developing new, scalable systems that better align the supply and demand of materials and services: a cooperative bank for freshwater, a digital system for managing construction and demolition materials, and spatial designs for the optimal exchange of landscape services in urban-rural regions. The research is largely embedded in real-world contexts. After all, technical solutions are often readily available—but how do we get them off the ground? It requires rethinking the value of resources and services, developing new business models, and creating the nessecary legal and governance frameworks. All perspectives are needed here, along with mutual trust and a belief in the often open-ended process. In keeping with this spirit, researchers and practitioners in this series share their lessons and experiences with fellow researchers.

This podcast was hosted and edited by Annemieke Groenenboom and produced for the Institute 4 a Circular Society, part of the EWUU alliance.