Starting point: 

How can historic AEC data be leveraged to achieve more sustainable and efficient future projects?

This topic may include consideration of: how ‘wicked’ design goals might be established in building projects around resource consumption, waste production, carbon emissions, time, budget, and benefit objectives; how past project performance might be evaluated within these goals; identifying who should be setting new, sustainability-focused future goals and how to enable them, and ensuring quality assurance in shared architectural models.

Project Summary: 

As global initiatives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 gain momentum, particularly under the impetus of the COP21 Paris Agreement, the decarbonisation of the construction industry has emerged as a critical area of focus. Embodied carbon encompasses the greenhouse gas emissions associated with material extraction, production, construction, use, and eventual demolition or reuse. Renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings have been shown to reduce embodied carbon emissions by 50% to 75% compared to constructing new buildings, highlighting the environmental benefits of reusing structures(Hasik et al., 2019). The principle that “the most sustainable building is the one that already exists” (Lehmann, 2012) underscores a key tenet of modern sustainable architectural design, contributing to minimise the environmental impact in Construction and demolition waste (C&D). 

While cultural heritage projects often receive dedicated financial support and research resources, many buildings without historical or cultural significance are commonly demolished after decades of use. Post-war buildings constructed between the 1960s and 1990s are now reaching the end of their typical lifespans, which range from 35 to 65 years. However, these buildings possess significant potential as material resources for urban mining design (UMD), which reduces transport distances and environmental impacts during the construction process (Hillebrandt et al., 2019). Realising this potential requires comprehensive data on the current state of buildings to assess their suitability for reuse, alongside a deep understanding of their composition and structural elements.  

A significant barrier to adaptive reuse lies in the lack of digital records for many existing buildings. Most of these structures were documented using 2D hand-drawn plans, with only a few having CAD files or other digital formats. Furthermore, supplementary information, such as engineering calculations and compliance reports, often exists in analogue formats, complicating their integration into contemporary renovation projects. However, Building Information Modelling (BIM), enhanced by Material Passports (MPs)—datasets that record material characteristics, including quantities and qualities—offers a promising solution. BIM-supported MPs can help architects identify reusable materials in existing buildings that lack detailed material documentation (Honic et al., 2021). 

Drawing inspiration from Google’s efforts to digitise books for large language models (LLMs), this research proposes digitising plans, sections, elevations, and supplementary documents (e.g., engineering calculations and compliance reports) to create a comprehensive data pool for large spatial models (LSMs). This database will be visualised through an online platform designed to assist architects, developers, and city councils in making informed decisions regarding building reuse and urban mining. By facilitating data-driven decision-making, this initiative aims to promote sustainable development within the built environment and support the global transition towards net-zero emissions. 

References 

Hasik, V., Escott, E., Bates, R., Carlisle, S., Faircloth, B., & Bilec, M. M. (2019). Comparative whole-building life cycle assessment of renovation and new construction. Building and Environment, 161, 106218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106218 

Hillebrandt, A., Riegler-Floors, P., Rosen, A., & Seggewies, J.-K. (2019). Manual of recycling: Gebäude als materialressource / buildings as sources of materials. DETAIL. https://doi.org/10.11129/9783955534936 

Honic, M., Kovacic, I., Aschenbrenner, P., & Ragossnig, A. (2021). Material passports for the end-of-life stage of buildings: Challenges and potentials. Journal of Cleaner Production, 319, 128702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128702 

Lehmann, S. (2012). The metabolism of the city: Optimizing urban material flow through principles of zero waste and sustainable consumption. In Designing for Zero Waste: Consumption, Technologies and the Built Environment: Vol. IV (pp. 309–343). Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/unsw/detail.action?docID=957415#goto_toc