Cradle to Cradle Building Components Via the Cloud: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper expands upon ‘cradle to cradle carpets and cities’ presented by Ness and Field (Cradle to cradle carpets and cities. In Proceedings of SASBE 03, Brisbane, 2003) at SASBE 03, where the notion of providing modular carpets as a service was introduced, and a paper at SASBE 06, where the theme of providing C2C products as a service was further developed by Ness and Pullen (Decoupling resource consumption from growth: new business model towards a sustainable built environment in China. In: Proceedings of SASBE 06, Shanghai, 2006). It reports on the outcomes of an ARUP Global Research Challenge Project 2017, undertaken by University of South Australia, ARUP, Prismatic Architectural Research and other partners, under the theme of adapting the circular economy to the built environment. The project addresses the challenge of reusing building components, so they deliver more value over their extended life-cycle, with consequent reductions in resource consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and waste, coupled with creation of new enterprises and jobs. A universally accessible ‘Cloud-based building information management platform’ is being developed, which enables components to be identified, reclaimed reused and exchanged multiple times over their lifecycle, within the same or different facilities. A cyber-physical information exchange system was established between physical building components and their virtual counterparts, known as Building Information Models, so that their life cycle information including history of ownership, condition, maintenance history, technical specifications and physical performance could be tracked, monitored and managed. In addition, designers could identify reused components via the cloud platform, and assess their suitability for incorporation in building projects when compared with new products. This research was complemented by an innovative business model, whereby components and products can be provided as a service, with producers retaining responsibility for their repair, remanufacturing and/or reuse over their life cycle. The methodology involved establishing a Cyber-Physical System by connecting a series of existing technologies, including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Building Information Modelling (BIM). Using a case study of a section of a major new hospital for ‘proof of concept’, information on the history, location, properties and performance of physical components could be exchanged in real-time from RFID tags to a local BIM system and thence to the cloud platform. Complemented by interviews within Australia and Europe with key stakeholders including designers, project managers, manufacturers, owners, investors and facility managers, the research led to the development of a ‘products as service’ business model and associated business case for the new paradigm. In short, a self-populating relational database that can execute predefined multiple/ conditional ownership exchange via a graphical user interface and/or web site front end. The findings are expected to drive increased reuse, adaptation and life-cycle stewardship within the building industry, whereby more value can be derived from built resources, new business opportunities created in the service sector, and adverse environmental impacts reduced. This is consistent with the pursuit of a ‘circular economy’, where the construction and management of the built environment can exert a major influence.