RE:wood - Assessment Criteria for the Circularity of Building Parts in Timber Construction

The transition to a circular economy, using renewable and secondary building materials, is key to reducing resource consumption, waste generation, primary energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. To achieve this objective, building parts must be designed and utilized to keep them in use for as long as possible through reuse and recycling. This necessitates integrating adapted planning processes, reversible connections within building structures, and BIM-based material passports that document the type and quantity of all assembled materials. Due to their inherent carbon storage capacity, timber constructions offer a strong potential for material substitution. The multi-layer structure of walls and ceilings significantly distinguishes timber construction from mineral construction methods. This multi-layered structure allows the reuse of self-contained building parts (e.g., exterior walls) and individual building elements (e.g., structural elements) instead of thermal utilization at the end of their first use.

Therefore, the research project RE:wood aims to identify timber-specific indicators as evaluation criteria and define documentation standards for the demountability of timber parts. These form the basis for qualitative circularity assessment and guide planners in promoting a sustainable built environment.

The project partner, Madaster, supports the project by developing BIM-based documentation standards with feature lists for timber construction. This includes comparing systems, evaluating and comparing deconstruction scenarios to access the secondary raw materials market, and advancing planning standards for timber construction.

Project Duration:
October 2024 – September 2026