New Publication! Robotic disassembly and reuse of a timber structure in the ZeroWaste project

Bruun, Edvard P. G., Erin Besler, Sigrid Adriaenssens, and Stefana Parascho. 2024. “Scaffold-Free Cooperative Robotic Disassembly and Reuse of a Timber Structure in the ZeroWaste Project.” Construction Robotics 8 (20): 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-024-00137-7.

The ZeroWaste project repositions existing timber buildings within a circular economy by treating them as reusable resources. Using cooperative robotic fabrication, the project developed computational methods based on a support hierarchy graph representation to enable scaffold-free disassembly and reassembly. Three case studies validated this approach, demonstrating how buildings can be sustainably deconstructed and reconstructed, emphasizing material reuse.

This research addresses the urgent need for sustainable construction practices by emphasizing material reuse and waste reduction in the built environment. By rethinking how existing timber buildings can be deconstructed and reconstructed, we contribute to the circular economy, offering a pathway to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry. This approach not only conserves resources but also sets a precedent for the pivotal role that robotics can play in the sustainable transformation of our building stock.

 Check out a read-only version of the full paper here: https://rdcu.be/dRh5w. If you're interested in a PDF copy, feel free to message the group!