There is no denying that we need to accelerate our sustainability efforts. In the last five years alone, climate change has cost the European Union an estimated EUR 170 billion. On 6 February this year, the European Commission presented its new climate target to address damage to the economy and environment: a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 relative to 1990. This is particularly relevant to the construction sector, as it is responsible for 39% of global emissions.
Building professionals need solutions that will meet the growing demand for compliance with evolving regulations and consumer expectations. The challenges are extensive and include resource consumption, energy use, and greenhouse gasses caused by operations as the building stock grows.
Circular economy principles (CE) are a viable strategy, ensuring resources are handled with care through the entire lifecycle from construction, to destruction and reuse. CE solutions can reduce the complexity of handling overwhelming data and guide smarter strategies for developing, recycling, and investing in building projects.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of digitizing material data and share strategies for how to implement it effectively.
The importance of digital analysis
Traditional construction often treats materials as disposable. In this model, materials are thrown away at the end of a building’s life, ultimately becoming landfill waste.
This ‘take-make-waste’ approach is both environmentally harmful and economically inefficient. Shifting to a mindset that values materials beyond their use in a single building can help change this.
Today, advanced tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) offer new opportunities, allowing you to track materials throughout the entire lifecycle of a building. Below is a summary of digital capabilities.
- Optimized material use: Builders can select materials with reliable insights into environmental and financial performance, empowering smarter decisions for reducing waste and carbon footprint.
- Extended building life cycles: Asset managers can use data on material durability and ease of disassembly to prolong building life and ensure materials can be reused or recycled when the building reaches the end of its life.
- Regulatory compliance: As sustainability regulations tighten globally, material analysis tools can support compliance with local and international regulations. This will help you to avoid costly penalties and maintain a positive reputation for your project.
The advantages of this technology can be far-reaching, especially when all stakeholders are committed to a digital process from the start. Below are five practical tips to get started with digitization to create lasting value.
Practical tips for leveraging technology
- Start early: From as early as the design phase, you can start incorporating material passports into planning to make decisions that support costing, sustainability, and efficiency.
- Focus on detachability and reuse: Material data can drive circularity, pointing you in the right direction to durable, easily detachable products.
- Attract investment opportunities: Pursue favorable investment opportunities with confidence, backed by reliable digital data. The demand is high for environmental credentials, and buildings with clear metrics—such as a high index and low embodied carbon—are more attractive because they post less risk, comply with regulations, and are likely to have higher occupancy rates and resale value.
- Lean on data for ESG compliance: Meeting criteria for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a must and this requires clear, transparent data on the materials in your building. Madaster offers seamless navigation of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria and the ability to generate Level(s) reports, enhancing the ease and accuracy of sustainability assessments. This functionality is crucial for businesses looking to comply with EU sustainability regulations while taking advantage of the increasing demand for green investments.
- Think long-term: For asset managers, it’s not just about the initial cost of materials but their long-term value. By investing in high-quality, sustainable materials, you can lower maintenance costs, extend the building’s lifespan, and ensure that materials maintain their value when the building is eventually deconstructed.
Read more on the advantages of circular construction
A platform built for material management
Madaster provides construction teams around the world with expert-developed passports at a material, building or asset portfolio level. A passport stores key data about every material used in a building, its environmental impact and financial value. The platform integrates with BIM and EPD to allow for continuous tracking and insights into how each material contributes to the overall sustainability of a project.
One example is Matrix ONE, a state-of-the-art building that incorporates Madaster’s material passports to manage and reuse materials effectively. The building was designed for future deconstruction, with 92% of materials available for reuse. This approach not only reduces waste but also ensures that the building retains financial value even as it ages.
In another project, the school of Juf Nienke was renovated using a similar approach. Madaster analyzed the materials used to provide insights on which materials could be reclaimed for future projects to promote circular construction
These examples highlight the transformative potential of material analysis.
Conclusion
Material analysis is driving the circular economy forward, transforming construction into a more sustainable, efficient, and profitable sector. The entire ecosystem from builders to asset managers and investors can leverage this technology to comply with evolving regulations and enhance the overall value of projects.
For more real-world examples of how material analysis is transforming construction, check out Madaster’s projects.
