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In the construction sector, the new Industry 4.0 and circular economy paradigms are currently playing an increasingly important role in order to respond to demands for energetic efficiency, optimisation of resource usage, automation and production activities monitoring. Therefore, this article aims to at illustrate industrial research and an experimental development activity that led to the creation of an innovative product named MULTIFId. It consists of an intelligent, economical and low-emission panel, made with waste from the paper and cardboard industrial manufacturing process which intends to contribute to the development of the fundamental enabling technology of "Advanced Materials" for Intelligent Factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes specific usage scenarios of an innovative platform, interfacing users, monitoring, and simulations for building energy simulations and the computation of key performance indicators to support, in an interoperable and open vision, design and management choices exploiting the enabling capabilities of ICT in architecture. The modularity of the proposed solution allows the development of pre-defined usage scenarios for professionals: impact of modifications in technological design choices, model calibration, and performance gap between simulated and monitored building data. The paper faces some new architectural usage scenarios of the tool, considering its enabling capabilities, and focuses on the tool's components developed and tested in the EU H2020 E-DYCE project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes both the method and the preliminary outcomes of the "Blind-assistive autonomous Droid Device: BUDD-e" research experience, funded by Polisocial Award 2021 of Politecnico di Milano, and designed to exploit a multidisciplinary approach to bridge the gap of inclusive design, making spaces and services accessible, functional, and usable by Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) people. The research purpose is to develop accessible public places and indoor environments where the autonomous robot BUDD-e will act as guide for the BVI people. User-centred design principles will be applied to support accessibility to - both outdoor and indoor - public places, where the robot guide BUDD-e will be a primary feature in allowing access to services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of the design strategies of reassembly and reuse of buildings according to the transition to circular economy. Specifically, the paper addresses the issue of architectural envelopes made of drywall and their executive design according to a Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) approach, based on a case study of a temporary wooden housing unit for which there are several scenarios of use and end of life once the first cycle of use of the components of the envelope has come to an end. In particular, the paper, based on the collection of environmental profiles of products through Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), wants to define a balance between the environmental impacts incorporated in the used materials and the benefits related to the adoption of dry construction techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike other industrial sectors that already apply re-manufacturing, the construction sector is slow to experiment with these sustainable practices. Hence, this paper introduces key results of the Re-NetTA project, conducted at Politecnico di Milano and funded by Fondazione Cariplo (2018-0991), which intends to outline the conditions necessary to activate circular processes in the field of tertiary construction. In order to extend the life of construction products, the paper proposes three circular models based on re-manufacturing. Developed with stake-holders and experts in an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach, the proposed models represent a contribution towards sustainable design and organisational practices of construction products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood actively equalises its moisture content in relation to its surrounding environment. Technical applications that can harness this characteristic can have a great impact in the improvement of indoor hygrometric comfort. So far few applications have made use of this unique property. The natural hygroscopic intelligence of wood can lead to the development of a new technology capable of ensuring improved indoor comfort. The natural material can thus be engineered by creating responsive composites made from wood waste and transformed through 4D printing. The biomimetic actuators studied in this paper are aimed at linking the transformation of form into environmental control functionality applied to building comfort in adaptive and passive solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the façade sector, the ecological and circular transition requires the adoption of new business models that exploit the value of the material as much as possible. In this context, the Internet of Things (IoT) is identified as a potential innovation driver for the widespread use of circular approaches. The aim of the paper is to clarify the role of IoT in enabling five circular business models in the façade sector. The potential benefits of an IoT-based façade system are highlighted through a matrix underscoring the relationship between information produced and key actions to achieve the innovative business models. The research discussion and findings open the debate on the perspective of digitally integrated building components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological advancement of robotic automation in construction allows for the identification of a renewed design agenda at the intersection of professional practice, academic research, higher education, and the cultural context in which innovations take place. This paper outlines research conducted in the field of large scale digital robotic additive manufacturing at Lawrence Technological University, College of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the artchitecture firm Daub and the start-up Citizen Robotics in Metro Detroit. The creation of a prototype for a temporary installation is used to assess the building feasibility of a home scheduled for completion in 2023, in which a portion of the exterior will be 3D printed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling Technologies have the potential to transform both the physical flow of materials and resources (production and construction methods), and the intangible organisational and managerial relationships (exchange and monitoring of data and relationships along the entire chain of value). They should, therefore, be considered important in supporting change processes aimed at the circular use of resources. This paper presents some research and experiments, at European and Italian level, aimed at developing and applying Enabling Technologies for circular economy, and at aligning them with the needs and challenges of society, by directly involving actors of the building sector ecosystem in moments of discussion and co-creation to define potential strategies and operational actions for innovation in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current and increasingly intensive technocratic drift recognises the indiscriminate power of techniques in solving several problems, including the struggle against climate change and its impact on cities. One of the future challenges concerns the effective and conscious application of KETs for the creation of smart environments in historical heritage, which plays a strategic role for its conservative values, but also in the broader strategy for limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed paper reports some preliminary results of a research aimed at investigating and acknowledging these technologies as an enabling medium to undertake more informed deterministic choices in the field of CH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital technologies is an open and very rapidly evolving field of investigation and experimentation. This paper addresses their role in Cultural Heritage (CH) safeguarding activities, drawing on the research results of the H2020 project "4CH-Competence Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage" (CC) [GA 101004468]. 4CH moves from the human-centric vision of digital transformation, advocated by the EU, and envisages an interdisciplinary approach, combining theoretical and practical knowledge, all in support of a reflection on the role of enabling technologies, the new skills associated with them, the CH preservation and enhancement related approaches, and their integration into the established technical culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate scenarios require the implementation of climate proof actions. The effectiveness of such projects directly depends on the knowledge of local contexts and on the built environment's characteristics in relation to climate risk conditions. Innovative methods of knowledge can be implemented through the use of enabling technologies. Based on these considerations, the paper proposes the Coast-RiskBySea model as support for climate proof decision-making in relation to coastal flood risk, with the aim of developing new synergies between environmental design and enabling technologies. The proposed model was tested on an application case in the city of Naples by simulating a climate proof measure to assess the effectiveness of this solution in terms of damage reduction, and to define the potential and criticality of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the development of Living Hub: a laboratory for research, experimentation and training based on the Living Lab model, integrated with the use of the Simulation technique, to optimise the study of the interaction between people, environments, and technology. The lab aims to support the design of capacitating technologies and responsive environments that can adapt to the needs of their users, with reference to the home context. Located in Liguria, a region with the highest rate of ageing in the world, Living Hub focuses experimentation on innovative models for the care of the frail through different levels of scalar/modular integration of enabling technologies in the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the evolutionary tendencies in the use of artificial intelligence in building design, highlighting: a) the ground lost by knowledge-based expert systems and the diffusion of systems combined with heuristic and stochastic approaches; b) the spread of evolutionary algorithms in the field of optimisation; c) a climax of the influence of probabilistic approaches around 2010; d) the progressive dominance of deep learning since 2012. It is likely that the next step requires hybridisation of deep learning and symbolic artificial intelligence, and it is expected that the contribution of design domain experts in terms of knowledge formalisation will be a fundamental driver of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present a methodology for the integration of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) microclimate simulation and a Geographic Information System (GIS). The first workflow involves the attribution of spatial coordinates to the point data extracted from the CFD, the implementation of an SQLite database, and the connection to the database to visualise and use information on environmental and comfort variables. The second workflow involves georeferencing the CFD raster output, attributing an ID to the point data, creating a point grid in a GIS environment, and merging these with the point data on the microclimate. For demonstration purposes, the methodology is tested on a real case study using ENVI-met and ArcGIS Pro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to the current energy crisis and to action against climate change have produced a wide variety of experimentations. Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) and Energy Communities (EC) are spreading as aggregators of enabling technologies, but the knowledge and skills required to plan, implement and monitor them still need to be developed. Technology alone is not enough to facilitate knowledge sharing and the experimentation and co-creation of solutions. The paper focuses on methods and tools that allow to support the creation of "energy citizens" through considerations developed in project H2020 GRETA (Green Energy Transition Actions) and in COST Action 'PED-EU-NET'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first results of the research agreement signed by the Federico II University and CDP Immobiliare concerning reusing and recycling construction waste in the urban regeneration project. The research is aimed to develop a technical protocol for the ex-ante evaluation of the demolition operations, with a special focus on the criteria for picking the material samples to undergo chemical-physical analysis. The article is focused on the demolition process, implementing a BIM-based filing of the building system and aimed at a preliminary understanding of the material quantity, the material consistency and the state of conservation of the elements to be demolished. A tentative pre-characterisation, and an inventory of any contaminants present in the materials are also provided. In the form of discussion, further implications related the building characterisation and the planning of material flows with the reuse and recycle supply chains are provided as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy applied to the urban context is linked to sustainability objectives focused on environmental performances overlooking socio-political implications, in order to achieve a circular balance within the neoliberal paradigm of business-nature-society in a continuous growth scenario. This paper discusses this criticality, articulating a counter perspective based on the debate of degrowth, circularity and technology through the analysis of three cases of socio-technical assemblages: Transition Towns; Repair Cafes; Community Gardens. The research individuates the effectiveness of urban practices in which the circularity is implemented beyond purely economic interactions or ecoefficiency parameters, defining the potentialities of a degrowing circular city based on inclusiveness, social justice and reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Green Deal places at the centre of its policies the need to act in order to achieve climate neutrality goals by 2050. In this context, the role of cities and, in particular, of already existing buildings is relevant. Although they are responsible for 40% of energy consumption, only 1% are involved in major restructuring processes. In the context of smart city strategies and to improve their performances, Europe proposes various approaches such as Positive Energy Districts and Industry 4.0. This paper analyses case studies and innovative European projects with the aim of identifying the most relevant strategic actions. Eventually, it presents a real case in the city of Bologna as a basepoint for the reflection proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1970s, in Europe the industrial decommissioning phenomenon has led to the generation of an obsolescent and widespread building stock, located in highly strategic areas. This paper, aiming to make abandoned industrial buildings re-enter the market, focused on the development of prefabricated housing modules, according to the nested-building renovation approach. The project started from the constraint's typological analysis (architectural, functional and structural) of 900 reinforced concrete industrial buildings in view of the intervention replicability. Finally, to validate the design and technological choices, the analysed system was applied to a real case study in Verona: the Greggi Warehouse (1960) in the "ex-Manifattura Tabacchi" factory area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of the research activity carried out within the framework of the European project H2020 REFLOW, which aims to build an integrated approach for the development of innovative participatory practices dedicated to urban circular metabolisms. As a result of the survey conducted on the application of collaborative models for the urban circular economy, it emerged that there is no shared operational strategy that can be adopted for the circular development of complex systems, such as cities. Based on this premise, this paper offers a new perspective on how to build and validate a transitional pathway for the development of circular cities through the adoption of a design-oriented approach that orchestrates different resources and capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is derived from a feasibility study for a single-story elevation at the Kent School of Architecture and Planning (KSAP) in the United Kingdom. This project embraced two fundamental principles of the circular economy: flexibility of interior spaces and Design for Disassembly (DfD). The goals were to reduce the risk of demolition and preserve the value of the building material to empower its later use. These principles formed the solution for the structural frame. For this paper, the engineering phase was carried out to improve the structural connections designed according to DfD principles and following generative design methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For years, the building sector has been marked by the progressive exploitation of raw materials and the growing production of waste. The product and process innovations, based on waste valorisation starting from their geographical location and identification, prefigure potential reductions of environmental impacts. This paper presents the methodology and findings of the mapping of waste from construction and manufacturing processes, carried out in Sardinia to identify possible scenarios of valorisation. The geographical location of waste production both in construction and manufacturing processes, along with their possible reuse, have allowed the definition of some supply chains which are able to process their own waste, according to industrial symbiosis scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Crisis contexts such as the MENA region allow us to envision effective scenarios of sustainable development based on local production systems supported by digital innovation. The constant exchange of know-how between the MENA area and the European continent represents a fundamental tool in which processes of technology transfer help to accelerate the transformation processes currently underway and make them more effective. This paper investigates the effectiveness of using local resources for producing building components by means of innovative technologies based on circular economy processes. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the possibilities of transferring enabling technologies from the Italian context to that of MENA as a tool for economic reactivation directed towards circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]