Eco-construction for sustainable development: Concept of a Material and Component Bank

in POWERSKIN Conference Proceedings (2021, April 09)

The European Commission has recently promulgated the concept of Circular Economy as a new pathway towards sustainability, in particular through new policy initiatives such as the Circular Economy Action ... [more ▼]

The European Commission has recently promulgated the concept of Circular Economy as a new pathway towards sustainability, in particular through new policy initiatives such as the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP). Since the environmental impact of the construction industry with the depletion of natural resources and the raising CO2 emissions will have to be reduced in the future, the need of recycling and even reusing entire building components supporting the principles of circular economy have been identified. The direct reuse of components extracted from old deconstructed buildings presents an energy-efficient and environmental-friendly solution. However, the reuse of components can be hindered by e.g. the lack of information on the availability of decommissioned structural components and uncertainties on the warranty of structural components. To handle this process an additional independent institution acting as Material and Component (M&C) Bank is needed. This entity assures activities such as e.g. the identification of reusable components in buildings which are proposed for selective dismantling; the condition assessment; the data management and the data transfer from a previously deconstructed building to a new building; and finally, an official certification of the components’ conformity for another service life in a new application. In the current paper, a concept for such a M&C bank is presented. This study investigates the potential of a M&C bank in the framework of circular economy concepts for the planning of sustainable and circular buildings with a reduced eco-footprint by focusing on the reuse of decommissioned structural components. The concept, main businesses and work operation of the bank are discussed. Furthermore, a digital representation of the bank as BIM-based M&C bank needed to publicize the availability of the reusable components to the market and to enable circular business models by showing their circular pathways are described. [less ▲]

Development of a BIM-Based Web Tool as a Material and Component Bank for a Sustainable Construction Industry

in Sustainability (2020), 12

The construction industry consumes an enormous amount of global resources and produces more waste than any other sector. The need to move toward sustainable development in construction requires ... [more ▼]

The construction industry consumes an enormous amount of global resources and produces more waste than any other sector. The need to move toward sustainable development in construction requires significant changes in construction and demolition (C&D) waste management. The estimation of waste, recycling materials and reusable components could be vital in waste management, achieving huge efficiency in the construction industry. Moreover, a typical building comprises of an extensive amount of materials and components with various characteristics. This study proposes a Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based system to allow the circular economy by storing information of the materials and components of buildings and by effectively managing the recycling of materials and reuse of components. A tool which serves as a Material and Component (M&C) bank was developed with PHP and MYSQL by making use of a web browser able to extract the materials and component information of a building through the BIM model. This information is vital for several uses such as quantification of C&D waste and assessing for the design for deconstruction. It can also be used to obtain the information of the reusable condition of the components and instructions for the reconstruction. [less ▲]

Recyclable Architecture: Prefabricated and Recyclable Typologies

in Sustainability (2020)

Buildings are being demolished without taking into the account the waste generated, and the housing shortage problem is getting more critical as cities are growing and the demand for built space and the ... [more ▼]

Buildings are being demolished without taking into the account the waste generated, and the housing shortage problem is getting more critical as cities are growing and the demand for built space and the use of resources are increasing. Architectural projects have been using prefabrication and modular systems to solve these problems. However, there is an absence of structures that can be disassembled and reused when the structure’s life ran its course. This paper presents three building prototypes of new recyclable architectural typologies: (i) a Slab prototype designed as a shelf structure where wooden housing modules can be plugged in and out, (ii) a Tower prototype allowing for an easy change of layout and use of different floors and (iii) a Demountable prototype characterized by the entire demountability of the building. These typologies combine modularity, flexibility, and disassembling to address the increasing demands for multi-use, re-usable and resource-efficient constructions. Design, drawings, plans, and 3D models are developed, tested and analyzed as a part of the research. The results show that the implementation of the recyclable architectural concept at the first design stage is feasible and realistic, and ensures the adaptation through time, increases life span, usability and the material reusability, while avoiding demolition, which in turn reduces the construction waste and, consequently, the CO2 emissions. [less ▲]

Three-dimensional DEM investigation of the fracture behaviour of thermally degraded rocks with consideration of material anisotropy

in Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics (2019), 104

A complete understanding of the fracture behaviour of anisotropic rocks under elevated temperatures is fundamentally important for rock and reservoir engineering applications. This paper shows a three ... [more ▼]

A complete understanding of the fracture behaviour of anisotropic rocks under elevated temperatures is fundamentally important for rock and reservoir engineering applications. This paper shows a three-dimensional numerical investigation of the fracture behaviour of anisotropic sandstone, with consideration of the effects of temperature and material anisotropy. In the study, a 3D semi-circular bend (SCB) model was established by using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The thermal responses of different minerals and the strength anisotropy of incipient bedding planes were considered in the model. The DEM model was calibrated against a series of laboratory experiments on Midgley Grit sandstone (MGS) that exhibits intrinsic anisotropy. The pure mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode (I+II) fracture characteristics of the MGS were investigated under elevated temperatures (up to 600 �C) using the established DEM model. The thermal degradation (i.e., fracturing) of the rock, the fracture load, the evolution of micro-cracks, and the stress-strain relationship around notch tips were analysed, with emphasis on enlightening the micro-mechanisms underlying the fracture behaviour. The results of the study were discussed and then compared with experimental observations and theoretical predictions. � 2019 Elsevier Ltd [less ▲]