CABE
Content
The project
CABE – Circular Approaches for the Built Environment is a European project within the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership. CABE supports sustainable urban development by transforming construction and demolition waste into valuable urban resources. Through practical digital tools—like material passports, urban building cadastres, and reuse platforms—planners, developers, investors, and local authorities can integrate circular economy strategies into urban projects. These innovative approaches are tested in urban Living Labs across Switzerland, Slovenia, and Turkey, generating hands-on experience for future urban regeneration. Insights are shared via the DUT Knowledge Hub, enabling cities to become smarter, greener, and economically resilient.
Persons
Prof. Dr. Matthias Haase
ZHAW, Life Sciences and Facility Management
Real Estate Management Competency Group
E-Mail
Mihaela Meslec
ZHAW, Life Sciences and Facility Management
Real Estate Management Competency Group
E-Mail
Martina Hefele
ZHAW, Life Sciences and Facility Management
Real Estate Management Competency Group
E-Mail
The SDGs
Background
CABE aims to develop and pilot innovative urban resource sharing infrastructures and circular solutions for the built environment by reusing Construction Demolition Waste (CDW). Creating a cadastre approach, tracing mechanisms, disaster waste treatment solutions and a synergetic market for reused materials will contribute to depolluting urban regions, reducing environmental burdens and costs, creating jobs and the security of material supply.
CABE will develop a common understanding to determine shareable secondary resources from the built environment and create an overview of circularity principles, regulations, stakeholders and industrial practices. Digital tools are conceptualized, integrating an urban building material cadastre, a material passport framework and a secondary material information platform as the innovative aspect of the project.
In parallel CABE will be analysing market effects of urban-resource sharing, environmental impacts, and social aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion. To ensure practical relevance, the developed approaches and tools will be piloted in selected demonstration cases dealing with disaster waste, building materials cadastres and an urban circularity centre. Finally, CABE will culminate in scientific publications, best practice guidelines and a roadmap for informed decision making and practical implementation. Transdisciplinary stakeholder involvement is a critical part of the research with inclusion also voices of vulnerable groups.
The main aim of the project is to remove volumes of construction materials that were created with a lot of embodied energy from ending up in landfills. Creating a cadastre approach, tracing mechanism and a synergetic market for reused materials will depollute urban regions while at the same time creating new jobs and growth by valorising these materials.y on tools for decarbonization of buildings, portfolios and districts. At last, IFM will also coordinate and manage the different tasks of Subproject 4.4 “Holistic renovation concepts”.
Results:
Urban innovation 1: A list of criteria that can identify a material as sharable resource.
Urban innovation 2.1: A digital tool that can identify Secondary Material (CDW).
Urban innovation 2.2: A universal urban and regional building material cadastre for different stakeholder groups.
Urban innovation 3: Urban sharing framework for implementation in policies, practices, processes, services and products as well as innovation directed at public governance, management and operation.
Urban innovation 4: Case studies of urban innovations in three locations (Switzerland, Slovenia and Turkey) and a demo of CDW management (in Turkey).
Urban Innovation 5: Input to the DUT knowledge hub on urban sharing. It should provide Input to the strategic development of the Transition Pathway for Circular Urban Economy.
Urban Innovation 6: Guidelines will include details about urban sharing of secondary materials on human and environment.
