Ten questions concerning digital transformation for a circular built environment

This paper addresses the challenge of enabling circularity in the built environment by improving how building materials are documented, recovered, and reused. We examine how emerging digital technologies can support this goal by focusing on ten specific research questions related to auditing, selective deconstruction, material tracking, matchmaking of reclaimed elements, and reassembly. Framed through the processes of collecting (auditing and salvaging), connecting (material tracking), and creating (matchmaking and reassembly), we review current methods that include computer vision, reality capture, robotics, digital passport systems, physical-digital interfaces, community databases, digital platforms, AI-based design, language models, computation, and extended reality. Our analysis shows that these technologies can automate the creation of digital inventories, increase material traceability, improve the evaluation and matching of reclaimed components, and enhance the precision of deconstruction and reassembly processes. These findings are relevant for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking scalable strategies to integrate reused materials into construction workflows. The work identifies opportunities for future research on integrating these technologies into coherent digital ecosystems that can accelerate the transition toward a circular built environment.