Research Day Digitalisation of the Built Environment

A growing population, a dire housing shortage, and irreversible climate change. Construction plays a crucial role in solving the major challenges of our time.

The construction sector is responsible for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the building industry is indispensable for creating new housing, working spaces, and infrastructure. So, it is time for change. Digitization is one of the most important aspects of making the construction industry more sustainable.

Picture this: you are going to remodel a house. All the materials you would normally just  “throw away” can be now scanned with an app. The app recognizes every product and sees what condition it is in. So you immediately know how you can reuse it. It is also immediately clear which products may have a second-hand market. According to Tilmann Koster, researcher and lecturer at InHolland, this can significantly accelerate the transition to a circular economy. He has started developing an algorithm to recognize roof tiles. Koster is training the algorithm with photos of different roof tiles – there are dozens of models – to ensure it can distinguish between the different tile types. Eventually, this should be possible for all materials and products.

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On the website of Innovation Origins you can read the full article: Digital twins lead to breakthroughs in sustainable construction