EngD position on Developing an Interactive Reverse Logistics Map for Circular Construction (CIRCOLOGIC)

The construction sector is under increasing pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, limit material consumption, and accelerate the transition towards circular and modular construction methods. While significant progress has been made in optimising logistics for new construction, far less attention has been paid to the reverse side of the value chain: what happens to materials when ‘donor’ buildings are renovated, transformed, or deconstructed - and how these materials can be reused in other ‘target’ projects.

Many building components still have substantial technical and environmental value, but are downcycled or discarded. The main barriers are not only technical, but also logistical, economic, and organisational: uncertainty about availability, quality, timing, transport, storage, costs, and liability makes reuse difficult to integrate into design and planning decisions. At the same time, digital developments such as BIM, product passports, digital twins, and data-driven logistics provide new opportunities to bridge these gaps - if they are connected in a meaningful way.

This EngD project addresses this challenge by developing an interactive reverse logistics map for circular construction. It links three different deliverables together to support different construction actors with relevant reuse- and replacement-oriented decisions: (i) an interactive geographical map, (ii) a calculation/optimization module, and (iii) a scenario engine.