DISCOVER aims to develop an autonomous, synchronous, continuous and intelligent identification and data analysis system for materials and products in existing end-of-life built works. The proposed approach will provide key stakeholders, including academia research performers, along with construction industry representatives, with data-driven insights to make deconstruction more efficient, optimise the use of resources, improve the environmental footprints and enhance the circularity of construction and demolition, unlocking the potential of end-of-life built works, which will become material banks. The expected outcomes include an autonomous robotic platform coupled with continuous identification tools to scan built works and provide synchronous quantitative and qualitative data from different materials, including complex and concealed elements. Artificial intelligence algorithms will allow a rapid analysis of the properties and characteristics of components, and feed the automated scan-to-BIM model creation. The multi-dimensional BIM, including selective demolition processes, labour productivity, and technical planning, will become a Digital Twin of the demolition site optimised by social, economic, and environmental multi-criteria assessments. This approach will highly contribute to significantly increasing the supply of traceable and sustainable construction materials and products for enhancing their wider market acceptance, following the waste hierarchy. The social impacts of digital transformation in the construction sector will be considered, and also new professional development tools for the relevant stakeholders will be proposed. The system will be tested in 4 different real demolition sites (Spain, Portugal, Poland and Belgium), offering a complete range of built work typologies and wide geographical coverage to demonstrate the replicability potential of DISCOVER, increasing the project dissemination capacity and awareness among the construction sector.

ICEBERG will make significant advances in the uptake of the circular economy in the building industry through the development of innovative circular reverse logistics’ tools and high-value secondary raw materials production technologies to establish market confidence and acceptability of recycled End-of-Life building materials (EBM). ICEBERG aims to design, develop, demonstrate and validate advanced technologies for the production of high-purity secondary raw materials (>92%w) through 6 circular case studies (CCS) across Europe, covering circularity of wood, concrete, mixed aggregate, plasterboard, glass, polymeric insulating foams and inorganic superinsulation materials. ICEBERG will generate cross-cutting integrated smart solutions that encompass three innovative circular reverse logistics’ strategies: an upgraded BIM-aided-Smart Demolition tool; a novel digital EBM traceability platform; and Radio Frequency and QR based identification system. ICEBERG will develop novel technologies for the recovery of EBM, which include: hyperspectral imaging (HSI), machine-learning software and robotic manipulators to increase sorting efficiency of mixed aggregates; an integrated crushing, sorting and cleaning optimized system and fast pyrolysis and purification processes for wood fractions; thermal attrition mobile unit integrated with LIBS and carbonation for concrete; hydrocyclone combined with HSI sorting and acid purification to increase the purity of recycled plasterboard; a combined process of purification and solvolysis for polymeric insulating foams; advanced hydrothermal and supercritical based processing of glass and silica containing waste. Circular design solutions for greater circularity of EBM and production of innovative circular building products with high purity and recycled content (30% - 100%) will be also implemented. ICEBERG will generate in the mid-term an economic benefit of 1758 M€ and 6265 new jobs by 2030.