A 5D Digital Circular Workflow: Digital Transformation Towards Matchmaking of Environmentally Sustainable Building Materials through Reuse from Disassembly

Abstract

The intersection of digital transformation, circular economy, and innovative construction practices presents a nascent field with significant potential to mitigate environmental impacts through optimised material reuse. This research aims to understand how digital technologies can augment the reuse of construction materials. We evaluated a plethora of digital tools, including digital product passports, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted material classification, reality capture, computational and generative AI-aided design, digital fabrication techniques, and blockchain technology, for their efficacy in facilitating building material reuse. The practical component of the study involved disassembling buildings and then designing and executing a construction project reusing the salvaged materials. Findings demonstrate that the successful application of circular economy principles is facilitated by digital forms of cataloguing, inventory management, design, and construction. The research proposes a workflow for incorporating digital innovations into circular construction, suggesting a pathway for future implementation and scalability.