CIB is pleased to announce the winner of the CIB Sebestyén Future Leaders Award 2025 is Politecnico di Milano student chapter.
The winning project aims to enhance knowledge and skills through hosting workshops on ‘From Waste to Worth: Design Strategies for Circular Plastic Materials‘.
The award is named after the late Prof. Gyula Sebestyén, former CIB President (1971-74) and Secretary General (1980-1993), and was launched as the CIB Gyula Sebestyén Award in 2002.
Project overview
From Waste to Worth: Design Strategies for Circular Plastic Materials” is a workshop series addressing practical pathways for integrating recycled plastics in construction.
Structured in three thematic modules, material science background and data on polymers, fabrication techniques and strategies for plastic materials, and co-design prototyping session, the workshop addresses the plastic waste problem by providing participants with theoretical knowledge, applied skills, and hands-on experience to better understand the challenges and opportunities of recycling, reusing and repurposing plastic waste in the building and construction sector.
The final outcomes include an adaptable CRAFTING KIT to foster international testing of the plastic waste co-design prototyping session, aiming at collecting information on different capabilities, problems and perspective on this global problem. The project aims at spreading awareness on plastic materials to provide participants with the knowledge and tools to address the plastic waste problem, facilitating realistic, achievable steps towards improved materials use and reuse.
Winning team
Elena Casolari is PI on the project, and is a PhD candidate at Politecnico di Milano, along with Prof. Andrea Giovanni Mainini,her supervisor.
Judges views
All submitted proposals were assessed by an expert panel from the CIB membership. Here is what they had to say about the winning proposal
An excellent well written proposal. Innovative and timeous topic. This one has immediate “global impact” for the construction industry.
A very well written proposal that seeks to raise awareness of, and address, a growing – and not slowing – problem. This will explore and promote the use of recycled plastic in construction through a hands-on, interdisciplinary workshop series that blends theory, digital tools, and prototyping. I believe that the workshop will address a global need, and is aligned to CIB’s W115 – Construction Materials Stewardship. The workshop has the potential to have good impact through participants having practical, open-source, tools to use – and hopefully demonstrate value to others. I am impressed with the thinking around having a hands-on session that would include on-line participants, and should have wide interest across the CIB network.
Interesting project with sufficient information, however impacts can be further elaborated and discussed.
Significance and Impact of winning proposal
This initiative addresses two of the most pressing challenges of our time: the proliferation of plastic waste and the environmental footprint of the construction industry. By equipping participants with practical tools and critical perspectives, the workshop empowers them to become agents of change in their respective fields.
The potential impact is both immediate and long-term:
- Short-term: Participants gain concrete skills in material selection, digital modeling, and sustainable fabrication. They leave with a tested prototype, a co-developed design methodology, and access to a replicable toolkit (the CRAFTING KIT).
- Medium-term: The workshop supports the formation of a transdisciplinary community of young professionals and researchers equipped to lead material innovation efforts in their institutions and regions.
- Long-term: Through the open-source sharing of the CRAFTING KIT and associated findings, the workshop can inspire replication in academic courses, design studios, and local maker spaces, helping to shift the discourse and practice around plastic reuse in construction.
By aligning with CIB W115’s mission of material stewardship, this project also contributes to ongoing international research efforts on sustainable resource flows, helping to bridge academic inquiry with real-world application.
The team will report on the project as it progresses.
