Can Digital Matchmaking Boost Circular Construction? Lessons from Reusing the Glass of Centre Pompidou

Catherine De Wolf*, Sultan Çetin, Nancy Bocken

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volumeConference contributionScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

Digitalization is driving innovation towards a circular economy in various industries—but the construction industry is lagging behind. The building industry, a growth sector due to increasing urbanization, is at the same time actively depleting our resources, generating waste, and emitting greenhouse gases at a tremendous scale and speed. This chapter argues that we must urgently shift from a linear take–make–waste model to a circular one whereby we utilize our resources wisely and keep them from becoming waste. The experience of reusing the glass from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, confronted the architects with the many challenges we face when renovating a building with circular principles. Finding architects to use the iconic bent glass instead of crushing it for recycling (or worse, for disposing it in a landfill) turned out to be a time-consuming task. Adopting artificial intelligence and digital information sharing to match materials for reuse with people who can reuse them is exactly what the construction industry needs for a paradigm shift towards circularity.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDesign for Rethinking Resources
Subtitle of host publicationProceedings of the UIA World Congress of Architects Copenhagen 2023
EditorsMette Ramsgaard Thomsen, Carlo Ratti, Martin Tamke
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherSpringer
Pages667-675
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-031-36554-6
ISBN (Print)978-3-031-36553-9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024
EventUIA World Congress of Architects Copenhagen 2023 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 2 Jul 20236 Jul 2023
https://uia2023cph.org/

Publication series

NameSustainable Development Goals Series
ISSN (Print)2523-3084
ISSN (Electronic)2523-3092

Conference

ConferenceUIA World Congress of Architects Copenhagen 2023
Country/TerritoryDenmark
CityCopenhagen
Period2/07/236/07/23
Internet address

Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care
Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Keywords

  • Centre Pompidou
  • Circular construction
  • Digital matchmaking
  • Reuse

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