On the 12th of July, a workshop titled ‘Material Passports Data: Accelerating Material Reuse in Construction’ was conducted in London, spearheaded by Orms Architects and Lancaster University. Held at the premises of Orms Architects, it attracted experts from both the circular economy and material passports sectors, spanning academia and industry.
The workshop provided a platform for specialists, including representatives from BRE, Madaster, and UKGBC, as well as other esteemed industry representatives and academics, to discuss the potential and intricacies of using digital passports for materials and products in construction. Our partner Juan A Ferriz-Papi from the University of Salford, contributed insights from the RECONMATIC perspective, enriching the discourse.
Under the leadership of Rachel Hoolahan from Orms Architects and Ana Costa of Lancaster University, the workshop is a segment of a broader research initiative. The primary goal is to expedite the process of reusing materials in construction. The findings from the workshop will contribute to a comprehensive report aimed at offering policy recommendations to the UK Government, set to be completed by the end of September.
The session commenced with a presentation introducing various experiences with material passports, citing examples like BAMB, Madaster, Orms, and Platform CB’23 Netherlands. This helped set the stage for understanding the proposal for the introduction of levels (materials, components, products, systems, buildings).
Subsequent discussions were divided into two primary areas:
Granular View: Covered topics such as data requirements, metrics, data naming conventions, and the interplay between reused materials and the design process.
Strategic View: This delved into the content of the passport, the flow of data, and how to effectively implement the system.
The insights provided by Ferriz-Papi were well received, paving the way for further collaboration with this group of experts and enhancement of RECONMATIC outputs. This collaboration aims to delve deeper into various case studies, share experiences, seek consultations, obtain feedback, and develop further partnerships.
