CREATION OF OR PARTECIPATION TO COLLABORATIVE PLATFORMS / DATABASES

1.1. DESCRIPTION Participation and/or the creation of online platforms and databases, where it is possible both to collect information regarding the materials used in different buildings, facilitates decisionmaking processes and the evaluation of circularity, but also to provide an overview of materials or components that have been discarded from buildings and that could be useful to other designers or construction companies, in order to promote their reuse. Similarly, a participatory approach is also useful to connect the people involved in the construction sector. 1.2. RELEVANCE FOR CIRCULAR BUILDINGS The shared management of databases, as well as the creation of platforms for secondary markets for re-use and recycling products, acts directly for the circularity of materials. Collaboration has already been said to be central for all optimisation of building layouts and supply chain organisation: for instance, integrated logistics between several manufacturers can minimise the necessary transport and reduce resource consumption. 1.3. INNOVATION ASPECTS In the collaborative approach between stakeholders, the principle of Rethink is applied to the entire supply chain, reshaping the traditional philosophy in which everyone acts only for his or her own interests: those who are not prepared to put their own gains, even partially, in second place to a circular and shared evolution of the construction process, will in the long run be excluded from it. At the same time, a commitment on the part of companies to research and load materials into these circularity databases is required in order to be able to create ever larger reuse markets that offer a viable and affordable alternative for all contractors, to the detriment of the market for virgin materials.

2.1. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - Creation of a database for the building in which the materials used are entered, with their quantities and properties, also with the help of BIM design - Registration of the companies involved in platforms (e.g. Circularity Platform) for the circularity of materials - Identification of industries and companies with which to create industrial ecosystems, generating continuous supply chains for products and easy to replicate over time - Creation of easy-to-navigate and intuitive platforms to facilitate the use of many users - Use of platforms for temporal and spatial synchronisation of the figures involved in the various processes on the building - Use of platforms not only for material flows around a project, but also for interchange between different projects - Initiative of companies and designers in proposing and joining circularity projects

3.1. BENEFITS - Circulation in the market of re-use products, keeping track of the origin of each one - Easier sourcing of reuse and recycling materials without having to have direct contact with individual dismantling companies - Reduction of waste of materials and components that are not reused because they are not claimed by anyone for a second use - Creation of an internal market among stakeholders involved in the circularity of materials specifically for construction - Collaboration between the different stakeholders, especially in the design phase, to know all the needs and precautions to be followed, especially for the circularity of materials (co-design) 3.2. COMPLEXITIES - Still limited stakeholder participation in platforms so there are few products in the catalogue - Need for BIM design or a complete inventory to be aware of the real amount of material involved - Lower landfill costs compared to the price of reuse materials - Difficulties for stakeholders to find exactly what they need in databases and platforms, but also problems for small companies to fit into collaborative frameworks with considerably larger companies - Information and training needed for those who want to approach the use of databases - Lack of involvement of all levels of stakeholders, including local authorities