Coordinator(s)

  • Tayyab Maqsood, RMIT University, Australia
  • Holger Walbaum, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
  • Maud Lanau, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Objectives and Scopes

The Commission aims to:

Decrease resource flows (i.e., construction material demand, CDW generation) and their environmental impacts by:

  • Maximizing the utilisation of sustainable materials in new construction and renovation to minimise environmental impact.
  • Ensuring the best choice of sustainable materials, which include raw bio-based materials, recycled materials, and reclaimed building elements.
  • effective and efficient use of construction materials.
    • design and proactive strategies
    • uptake of DFMA
    • offsite construction techniques that reduce construction waste and encourage reuse of components

Extend the useful life of buildings and their components to slow down resource flows and environmental impacts through:

  • design of transformable and adaptable new buildings to promote longevity and flexibility.
  • renovation, refurbishment, and adaptation of existing buildings.

Facilitate the reuse and recycling of materials and products to close the resource loop, through:

  • application of the cradle-to-cradle approach to ensure new materials and products are designed to stay perpetually in a closed loop system
  • reuse of existing building elements, components, and materials
  • transformation of waste into valuable raw materials for new construction products

Cross-sectional objectives:

  • Technologies. Leverage advanced technologies such as BIM, VR/AR and AI to optimise material selection, resource management, environmental impact assessments, waste management, deconstruction processes, and lifecycle costs.
  • Evidence and regulation support. collection and analysis of evidence to support the development of policies and regulations for sustainable CMS.
  • Integration of life cycle costing and management for sustainable CMS.

Current Work Programme

Commission subgroups have been established with a focus on the following topics/objectives and with the indicated leader/information contact per subgroup:

Subgroup 1: Sustainable Construction and Material Utilisation

  • Sustainable Construction Practices: Encourage the efficient use of new and existing construction materials including bio-based material with an emphasis on sustainability and reducing environmental impact.
  • Sustainable Material Utilisation: Promote the use of renewable and sustainable materials in construction to enhance the longevity and resilience of buildings and infrastructure.

Subgroup 2: Waste Management and Resource Transformation

  • Waste-to-Resource Transformation: Develop methods for converting construction and demolition waste into valuable raw materials for new construction products.
  • Construction Waste Minimisation: Establish proactive strategies to minimise construction and demolition waste through efficient design, planning, and execution.

Subgroup 3: DFMA and Offsite Construction

  • Building Components and Material Reuse: Support the reuse of buildings, components, and materials to extend their lifecycle and reduce the need for new resources.
  • DFMA and Offsite: Advocate for DFMA and Offsite construction practices and design methodologies that facilitate the recovery and reuse of materials to preserve resources and reduce environmental impact.

Subgroup 4: Adaptable Buildings and Lifecycle Management

  • Adaptable and Transformable Buildings: Design buildings and spaces that are adaptable and transformable to extend their service life and reduce overall resource consumption.
  • Renovation and Adaptive Reuse: Encourage the renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings

Subgroup 5: Advanced Construction Technology use

  • Advanced Construction Technologies: Implement technologies such as BIM, VR/AR 3D printing, smart materials, and IoT to improve construction efficiency and sustainability.
  • AI for Circular Economy: Utilise AI to analyse material flows, predict waste generation, and enhance recycling processes.
  • AI for DFMA: Use AI to plan and optimise DFMA processes, ensuring efficient material recovery and reuse.
  • AI for Lifecycle Management: Employ AI to monitor building performance, predict maintenance needs, and optimise lifecycle costs.

Subgroup 6: Governance for Circularity

  • Policy and Regulatory Support: Collect and analyse evidence to support the development of policies and regulations that promote sustainable CMS and align with global sustainability goals.
  • Life Cycle Costing and Management: Integrate life cycle costing and management practices to ensure sustainable construction material stewardship (CMS) throughout the entire lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure.

Planned Output

Publication of a Research Roadmap on Achieving Circularity in the Built Environment.

Internal Structure

Within the Commission a series of Specialists Groups have been established that will carry out a coherent programme of research, which will fit into an overall programme matrix (roadmap). Each of these Specialist Groups will be supported by, report to and obtain feedback from the Commission as a whole.

Every opportunity will be taken to establish ands develop synergies with other CIB Task Groups and Working Commissions.

Membership

Members of this CIB Working Commission will be Individual CIB Members or appointed representatives of CIB Organizational Members.

Status

This Working Commission was established in January 2006 to succeed the former Task Group TG39 – Deconstruction. In May 2025, its name changed from Construction Material Stewardship to Achieving Circularity in the Built Environment.