The Reincarnate consortium held its second Advisory Board meeting on 18 February 2026, bringing together external experts and project partners to review progress and provide strategic guidance as the project approaches completion this summer. Over one hour, the team presented the latest developments across the platform, pilot deployments, and social-economic innovation work, followed by an open exchange with Advisory Board members.
Timo Hartmann, our project coordinator (Technical University of Berlin) opened with an overview of Reincarnate’s trajectory and remaining priorities. With the project ending in May 2026, partners are focused on consolidating results, refining demonstrations, and maximising the project’s long-term impact. Key highlights included the deployment of the Circular Potential Information Management (CPIM) platform, integration of sensor and BIM data, and populated demonstration cases. Additional innovations, such as robotic upgrade solutions, material reuse tools, and circular value-flow planning methods, have reached advanced stages.
The Reincarnate Academy continues to expand, with all training content ensured to remain accessible beyond the project’s lifetime. Timo also acknowledged the challenge of synthesising the wide range of innovations and datasets produced—a point where Advisory Board input is essential.
Updated results were presented from several demonstration sites in Europe and China:
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Berlin – Katreiner Haus: This demonstration focuses on architectural design methods for circularity in collaboration with BIM (Berliner Immobilienmanagement). The work explores how reclaimed building elements stored by BIM—such as windows—can be integrated directly into early design workflows. A dedicated tool allows architects to import available product lists into Revit and receive automated suggestions for suitable reused components.
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Paris Habitat: This case examines strategic circular decision-making for large housing portfolios. Using a scenario-based design engine, different renovation pathways are generated and compared. The tool supports early-stage planning by assessing circular potential, material retention opportunities, and the feasibility of reuse-oriented interventions across ageing Paris Habitat buildings
- Sweden – Technical Heights: The Swedish demonstration evaluates material reuse at the point of renovation. The SLAMD AI tool is applied to available secondary materials to propose high-performance mixes that reduce the need for iterative laboratory testing. This approach demonstrates how data-driven material assessment can accelerate reuse-oriented renovation and improve resource efficiency.
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China – High-Rise Demolition: This case explores on-site waste assessment and automated separation. A prototype robotic system is being developed to identify and sort demolition waste directly on the construction site. The goal is to increase separation quality, reduce manual labour, and address one of the significant bottlenecks in current demolition practices.
Partners are preparing one-page, three-page, and full 10-page demo summaries to streamline communication. Advisory Board members encouraged the consortium to articulate a clearer narrative connecting all demonstrations into a coherent circular-economy storyline.
Joao Goncalves ( Erasmus University Rotterdam) presented the work on social, economic, and market adoption, emphasising that circularity is as much a behavioural and organisational challenge as a technical one. Activities included stakeholder-mapping exercises, development of locally deployed AI language models for internal knowledge access, and surveys exploring how circularity influences employee retention, advocacy, and organisational culture.
Work is ongoing on consumer and resident perspectives, focusing on how reclaimed products can be framed around quality and reliability, not only sustainability. Advisory Board members contributed perspectives on workforce skills, procurement barriers, and the importance of reducing friction for designers and contractors. Practical examples from France, Australia, and the Netherlands reinforced the need for visible demonstrations of product quality and procurement-friendly tools.
Carmen Serna from AUSTRALO closed the meeting by inviting the Advisory Board members to the Reincarnate General Assembly in Rotterdam on 12–13 March 2026., where the programme includes consolidated presentations of all innovations, a hands-on session with the Reincarnate board game, work package updates, and a dedicated Advisory Board feedback segment.
As Reincarnate moves into its final months, the Advisory Board’s perspectives are critical for shaping the project’s legacy: scalable circular solutions, compelling narratives, and tools that make circular value flows actionable across the built environment.