The CP-IM Platform: Managing Information for Circular Construction. When a building is demolished, all the construction materials (concrete, glass, steel, timber) remain physically intact and are potentially reusable. The information about their condition, composition, and whether they meet performance standards for a second life is, however, rarely available in usable form. Without it, the default is landfill, because nobody can prove the material still has value.
The Circular Potential Information Management (CP-IM) platform is Reincarnate’s response to that problem. Developed as the project’s central technical instrument, CP-IM centralises and manages information on buildings, products, elements, and materials throughout their entire life cycle, providing stakeholders with the data they need to reuse and recycle construction components rather than dispose of them.
Two systems, one platform
CP-IM integrates two complementary technologies. The Mainflux open-source IoT platform handles secure data collection and processing, enabling real-time tracking of construction components and materials across multiple use cycles. The DMO RE Suite serves as the primary graphical interface for building data management, covering BIM interaction, inspections, reporting, and digital workflows.
Together, they support a range of functionalities throughout the full construction life cycle:
- BIM-based loading, viewing, querying, and interaction with IFC models;
- real-time visualisation of IoT sensor data linked to building elements;
- digital building passports containing material, product, and lifecycle information;
- QR-code generation and tracking for products and reusable elements;
- mobile on-site workflows for inspections, logistics, and BIM enrichment;
- spatial 3D tagging and integration of inspection and laboratory data;
- full traceability of construction products from manufacturing to reuse.
From concept to demonstrator
Five use cases were implemented and tested within the platform, each addressing a point where information loss typically breaks the circular chain.
- Digital Delivery Tickets for concrete link manufacturing, transport, delivery, and installation data directly to BIM elements via QR codes and mobile applications.
- Flat glass inspection workflows enable reusable and recyclable glass elements to be identified through BIM-based queries before dismantling begins, in a direct parallel to the circular glass loop demonstrated by Ragn-Sells and Akademiska Hus in Stockholm.
- Prefab element tracking follows components one-to-one through dismantling, storage, remanufacturing, and reinstallation.
- Façade service life assessment uses IoT sensor data and environmental performance indicators linked to BIM objects.
- Material insight workflows connect drill core sampling and laboratory analyses to BIM elements, supporting informed decisions on refurbishment and reuse.
Who it is for
CP-IM is designed for the full range of actors involved in the construction and real estate sector, including building owners and facility managers, architects and BIM professionals, contractors and demolition companies, recycling and remanufacturing operators, public authorities, and research projects working on sustainable construction.
The platform meets stakeholders where they already operate, on-site with mobile tools, in BIM environments, through existing inspection workflows, and adds the traceability layer that circular construction currently lacks. By combining IoT technologies, BIM environments, digital building passports, and mobile inspection tools into a single integrated system, CP-IM makes it practical to preserve the value embedded in construction materials across multiple building life cycles.
Source: CP-IM platform description done by the Reincarnate project team. Earlier documentation is publicly available at zenodo.org/records/11354395.