CIRCBUILT

Project

CIRCBUILT aims to contribute to a circular, resilient, and decarbonized construction economy through the following objectives:

Mapping and valorizing resources: Identify reliable sources of lignocellulosic waste and promote local value chains based on efficient resource use, supporting industrial replicability across Europe.

Development of bio-based components: Design three high-performance intermediate components—biodegradable foams, isocyanate- and formaldehyde-free binders, and thermochromic nanocellulose films—optimized to reduce environmental impact and maximize market potential.

Prototyping and validation of building products: Assemble and test four building solutions (insulation panels, structural panels, adaptive cooling windows, indoor acoustic panels), demonstrating their technological, environmental, and aesthetic viability up to TRL5.

Stakeholder engagement and co-design: Activate a European multi-actor forum for product development, including architects, construction professionals, public decision-makers, and designers, with a participatory approach that exceeds minimum sustainability standards.

Dissemination, training, and awareness: Develop a full-scale demonstrator integrating the four CIRCBUILT products, for demonstration, educational, and outreach activities aimed also at younger generations.

Strategies for industrialization and circularity: Develop circular business models and feasibility analyses to support industrial scalability, integration of components into complementary markets, and end-of-life management (reuse, deconstruction, or recycling), fostering a true transition to a zero-waste construction sector.

Specific objectives

CIRCBUILT aims to contribute to a circular, resilient, and decarbonized construction economy through the following objectives:

Mapping and valorizing resources: Identify reliable sources of lignocellulosic waste and promote local value chains based on efficient resource use, supporting industrial replicability across Europe;

Development of bio-based components: Design three high-performance intermediate components—biodegradable foams, isocyanate- and formaldehyde-free binders, and thermochromic nanocellulose films—optimized to reduce environmental impact and maximize market potential;

Prototyping and validation of building products: Assemble and test four building solutions (insulation panels, structural panels, adaptive cooling windows, indoor acoustic panels), demonstrating their technological, environmental, and aesthetic viability up to TRL5;

Stakeholder engagement and co-design: Activate a European multi-actor forum for product development, including architects, construction professionals, public decision-makers, and designers, with a participatory approach that exceeds minimum sustainability standards;

Dissemination, training, and awareness: Develop a full-scale demonstrator integrating the four CIRCBUILT products, for demonstration, educational, and outreach activities aimed also at younger generations;

Strategies for industrialization and circularity: Develop circular business models and feasibility analyses to support industrial scalability, integration of components into complementary markets, and end-of-life management (reuse, deconstruction, or recycling), fostering a true transition to a zero-waste construction sector.

Role of
Certimac

Certimac’s contribution to CIRCBUILT follows multiple strategic directions: from defining technical product specifications, drafting standardized testing protocols, to the experimental validation of prototypes, achieving an advanced technology readiness level (TRL5).

As the leader of WP 4 “Upscaling of materials and manufacturing processes towards final products and validation at TRL 4–5,” Certimac is responsible for performance evaluation of several innovative systems—including thermal insulation panels, construction elements, acoustic panels, and adaptive cooling windows—through a series of tests assessing physical, mechanical, acoustic, environmental, and durability properties.

Special attention is given to indoor safety and health, with targeted analyses on VOC emissions, formaldehyde, and other harmful compounds. The results will be collected in a dedicated technical report, supporting dissemination and practical application of the developed solutions.

Certimac also contributes to the creation of a full-scale mock-up integrating the four CIRCBUILT products and participates in the evaluation of strategies for deconstruction, reuse, and recycling of materials, promoting the integration of circular economy principles in the construction sector.

To support the scalability and adoption of these solutions, Certimac collaborates in drafting specific recommendations and guidelines, identifying existing regulatory or legislative barriers and proposing updates/integrations to facilitate the market entry of high-performance bio-based products in Europe.

Thanks to advanced laboratories and instrumentation, and consolidated know-how in material characterization and development of pre-standard protocols, Certimac ensures a rigorous, innovative, and sustainability-oriented approach, aligned with the objectives of the CIRCBUILT project.

Expected outcomes

CIRCBUILT will demonstrate that it is possible to develop innovative and high-performance building materials from biological waste, contributing concretely to the goals of the European Green Deal. Key expected outcomes include:

Identification and mapping of lignocellulosic waste sources suitable for circular supply chains;

Production of innovative and sustainable intermediate components (foams, adhesives, nanocellulose films);

Integration into final building products and validation up to TRL5;

Construction of a full-scale demonstrator;

Definition of business models and market strategies;

Drafting of recommendations and guidelines to support the diffusion of bio-based products in Europe.