The BAMB project implements the principles of the waste hierarchy: the prevention of waste, and its reuse and recycling. Key is to improve the value of materials used in buildings for recovery. This is achieved by developing and integrating two complementary value adding frameworks: (1) Materials Passports; and (2) Reversible Building Design. These frameworks will be able to change conventional (cradle-to-grave) building design, so that buildings can be transformed to new functions (extending their life span) or disassembled to building components or material feedstock that can be upcycled in new constructions (using Materials Passports). In this way, continuous loops of materials are created while large amounts of waste will be prevented. The project involves the following territories: Amsterdam (the Netherlands); Brussels (Belgium); Eindhoven (the Netherlands); Essen (Germany); London (UK); Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Ridderkerk (the Netherlands); Watford (UK); and Westerlo (Belgium).

Activities from research to market introduction are planned. Fundamental knowledge gaps should be bridged to introduce both frameworks on the market. Advanced ICT tools and management models will enable market uptake and the organisation of circular value chains in building and process industries. New business models for (circular) value chains will be developed and tested on selected materials. The inclusion of strategic partners along the value chains in an industrial board will maximise market replicability potential, while several (mostly privately funded) building pilots will demonstrate the potential of the new techniques. Awareness will be raised to facilitate the transition towards circularity by policy reform and changing consumer behaviour.

The BAMB project aimed at enabling a systemic shift in the building sector by creating circular solutions. The project developed tools to enable this shift, e.g. Materials Passports and Reversible Building Design – supported by new business models, policy propositions and management and decision-making models.

During the project these new approaches were demonstrated and refined with input from six pilots. The project provided a number of materials that are relevant for cities and regions working on a Circular Systemic Solution (CSS) related to circular buildings and construction, e.g. Reversible Building Design guidelines, design strategies for reversible buildings, operational material passports, etc. BAMB also demonstrated the application of material digital passports for value creation.

The results of the project are relevant for cities and regions that have a CSS focused on construction and building sector.

The project produced a number of relevant and useful outputs (based on pilot use cases), including:

• A blueprint to enable a circular built environment in an interactive format here (This is a guide for front runners and key actors within the defined building value chain (including policy makers) to implement systemic tools - Materials Passports and Reversible Design Protocols);

• Electronic Materials Passports developed as a one-stop shop for material information. Materials Passports developed in BAMB are sets of data describing defined characteristics of materials in products that give them value for recovery and reuse. More information can be found here and also in the report "Feasibility report + Feedback report" here;

• The results (together with achievements, scalability and replicability potential) of each case study and pilot implemented in the project can be found here. Case studies and pilots demonstrated the feasibility of the following concepts: disassembly and assembly of a building; transformation of a building; sustainable design with a special focus on the cradle to cradle design principles focusing on transformable and recyclable design, healthy materials and the use of material passports; refurbishment, integration of transformed elements; new construction, transformed and relocated several times; Reversible Building Design;

• Reversible Building Design guidelines and protocol. For more details on the results with respect to reversible building design can be found here.

Programme:

• H2020-EU.3.5. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Topic:

• WASTE-1-2014 - Moving towards a circular economy through industrial symbiosis

Bruxelles environnement - Leefmilieu Brussel

Contact the project

• EPEA Nederland BV
• Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek N.V.
• Building Research Establishment Ltd
• Stichting Zuyd Hogeschool
• IBM Nederland BV
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Ronneby Kommun
• Sundahus I Linkoeping Ab
• Technische Universitaet Muenchen
• Universiteit Twente
• Universidade do Minho
• Fondacija za Razvoj Odrzivog Dizajna Sarajevo
• Drees & Sommer Advanced Building Technologies GmbH
• Bam Construct UK Limited