UWE has been given the go ahead to begin a potentially revolutionary project aiming to dramatically reduce waste from the construction sector.

New software will make plans to recycle construction waste before buildings are even built. Image by UWE Bristol.
New software will make plans to recycle construction waste before buildings are even built. Image by UWE Bristol.

The new idea would see building materials earmarked for refuse or recycling during the design stage in order to prevent them ending up on the landfill after the building’s demolition.

It is currently estimated that between 30 and 40 per cent of all landfill waste originates from the construction industry.

The project, officially named DRIM (Deconstruction and Recovery Information Modelling), is intending to develop a sophisticated computer program capable of considering a deconstruction plan during the design stage.

Professor Lukumon Oyedele, of the Bristol Enterprise Research and Innovation Centre at UWE said: “It will change the entire construction industry – it’s as simple as that.

“There is no tool at the moment that’s coming up with a deconstruction plan.”

DRIM has been granted £800,000 funding for two years of research and will feature collaboration with academics from Coventry University alongside industry partners Waste Plan Solutions Ltd and Sustainable Development Ltd.

Professor Oyedele said: “We want to develop this tool with the aim of having an impact on policy change so new buildings that need to be constructed in the future must submit a deconstruction plan as part of the planning permission requirements.

“It will have an impact on the industry – helping to achieve greater competitive advantage in the sector and create low-waste buildings.”

By Ryan Cronin