Experts, Science & Technology Q&A
Can Digital Technologies, Like AI and Blockchain, Make Construction Less Wasteful?
Experts from Drexel’s CIRCLE Lab are looking at how digital technologies like AI, blockchain, augmented reality, and smart sensors can help cut down waste in construction. The industry generates hundreds of millions of tons of waste every year, but these tools could make it easier to track, reuse, and repurpose materials instead of sending them to landfills. By shifting toward a circular economy—where materials are repaired, remanufactured, and kept in use longer—we can reduce environmental impact, rely less on unstable global supply chains, and even create new jobs in deconstruction and repair.
EESI Congressional Briefing
Building Materials: From Production to Reuse
In December 2021, Dr. Cruz Rios was invited by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) to give a presentation on the circular economy and the built environment to members of the US Congress. The event was open to the public and attended by NGOs, researchers, construction stakeholders, and the general public. Her presentation focused on the role of policymakers in enabling circular built environments. Watch the recording below and click on the button below to access Dr. Cruz Rios’s slide deck and additional materials.