Events

📍Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
📅 14–15 August 2025

Developing Circular Construction Materials

 

Welcome to the BLADES2BUILD & CIRCULess Summer School focused on the development of circular construction materials.

This two-day programme was tailored for PhD candidates, researchers, and academic professionals who are engaged in research on sustainable construction materials, material reuse, and the circular economy. This dynamic and hands-on program brought together students, researchers, and professionals to explore cutting-edge developments in “Developing circular construction materials”. Through lab exercises, lectures, and networking sessions, participants gained unique insights into sustainability, recycling techniques, material testing, and design for circularity in the built environment, all driven by the innovations of the BLADES2BUILD & CIRCULess projects.

Participants explored innovative approaches to C&D waste and industrial waste recycling (concrete recycling, carbonation methods, steel slags) with exposure to real projects in circular construction, with a strong emphasis on practical applications and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The programme included:

• Expert lectures from leading researchers in circular materials

• Hands-on workshops on shorting and reuse techniques

• Interactive sessions exploring real-world case studies

• Networking opportunities with researchers across Europe

The program included:

August 13	Activity	Content	Building, room
16:00 – 17:30	Early registration/ Networking	Registration and introduction of the participants / Networking	Vertigo, 7.08

 

August 14
Time	Activity	Content	Building, room
9:00 – 10:40	Kick-off lectures	9:00-9:15 Introduction to Developing Circular Construction Materials Summer School – Safety Instructions 9:15-9:35 Florent Gauvin, Nataliya Lushnikova. BLADES2BUILD: Circular materials with wind turbine blades waste 9:35-9:55 Winnie Franco Santos. CIRCULess: Upcycling C&D mineral and timber-based waste 9:55-10:10 Tao Liu. Role of Polyester in Alkali-Activated Slag and Wind Turbine Blade Waste Composites: An NMR Study 10:10-10:25 Charilaos Paraskevoulakos. Investigating valorisation of end-of-life wind turbine blade waste into cement-based materials using X-ray Computed Tomography 10:25-10:40 Yan Luo. Unlocking the carbonation process of recycled concrete powders: An industrial case study	Vertigo, 7.08
10:40 – 11:00		Coffee break
11:00 – 12:00	Networking	Presentations of the participants’ research (a template will be sent to the participants)	Vertigo, 7.08
12:00 – 13:00		Lunch break
13:00 – 16:00	Workshops (in small groups of 5-6 persons)	A. Mechanical recycling of wind turbine blade waste and application in cement-based materials B. Characterisation of wind turbine blade waste and application in polymer-based composites C. In-situ treatment of recycled concrete fines in the carbonation chamber D. Smart crushing of construction and demolition waste. XRD analysis results of crushed and sieved concrete waste	BPS lab CBM lab
16:00 – 17:00	Group discussion	Group reflection- Interpreting lab results in the context of real applications	Vertigo, 7.08

 

August 15
Time	Activity	Content	Room
9:00 – 12:00	Workshops (in small groups of 5-6 persons)	A. Mechanical recycling of wind turbine blade waste and application in cement-based materials B. Characterisation of wind turbine blade waste and application in polymer-based composites C. In-situ treatment of recycled concrete fines in the carbonation chamber D. Smart crushing of construction and demolition waste. XRD analysis results of crushed and sieved concrete waste	BPS lab CBM lab
12:00 – 13:00		Lunch break
13:00 – 16:00	Workshop	Working in small groups on the presentation of the circular approach in research (Coffee break 14:20-14:40)	Vertigo, 7.08
16:00 – 17:00	Group discussion	Presenting approaches to applying circular thinking in participants’ research	Vertigo, 7.08

📌A big thank you to all the contributors and participants of the event!

📣 CIRCULess was presented at the 4th International Conference on Sustainable Building Materials, Eindhoven, organized and hosted by the Eindhoven University of Technology from 10 to 13 August 2025!

📌 CIRCULess, together with the BLADES2BUILD project, organised its first Special Session inside the conference.

💡 Our partners Eindhoven University of Technology, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet – DTU – Technical University of Denmark, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, and Global Consulting Sustainability AS, with Maria Kosarli, were there!

📍 Let’s take a look at our partners’ presentations:
1) Winnie Franco Santos – Eindhoven University of Technology presented “A Review on Advancing Circularity in Concrete Recycling: Practices, Innovations, and Future Prospects”
and 2) Carlos Folgoso Bullejos – TECNALIA Research & Innovation presented “Assessment of the Potential of In-Line Spectroscopy Techniques combined with CNN model for Classifying the Fine Fraction in CDW”

👉 Huge thanks to the organizers and volunteers for crafting such a thoughtfully curated and welcoming space to exchange ideas, tackle challenges, and explore innovations!

👉 We are pleased to announce that CIRCULess was presented at the ECOMONDO 2025 event in Rimini, Italy! 🇮🇹

💡 CIRCULess together with Wood2Wood Project, ReBoat Project, BIO4EEB, and EcoReFibre organised a joint workshop titled: “Driving the Circular Transition in the EU: Recovering Value from Secondary” inside ECOMONDO – ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP 2025 in Rimini, Italy between 4-7 November. The workshop took place on Tuesday, November 4, 10:00-13:00 pm CET in Camelia Room near Hall B6 inside the exhibition.

📍 The focus of the presentation was on circular innovations to increase the availability and use of secondary raw materials. Together with four other inspiring EU-funded projects, we showcases how circular economy solutions are driving Europe’s green transition.

♻️ Participating Projects:
📍 Wood2Wood Project – transforms unused wood waste from construction, demolition, and furniture into valuable products.
📍 ReBoat Project – offers circular solutions for sustainable tourism on EU islands through co-creation and mobile production plants.
📍 EcoReFibre Project – develops cutting-edge recycling technologies to extract fibres from waste wood, boosting Europe’s circular wood resources.

📍BIO4EEB – aims to uplift the generic bio-based material use and qualify their application with a circular economy approach.

📅 Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00–13:00 CET
📍 Location: ECOMONDO – ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP, Rimini, Italy – Camelia Room (Hall B6)

 

From CIRCULess, we had Sotirios Grammatikos, Project Coordinator of the CIRCULess Project, who presented the innovative work being done within the project. Sotirios delivered a highly engaging presentation on the CIRCULess project, showcasing how digital innovation and eco-design are driving circularity in the construction sector. ♻️ CIRCULess integrates AI-assisted sorting, robotic inspection, and digital material passports to upcycle timber and mineral-based waste into new hybrid, bio-based, and mineral materials. The digital platform supports end-to-end processes from sorting and quality control to material reuse and design optimization.

Key highlights of the presentation included:
🪵 Wood case study – pixel-level robotic sorting, defect identification, and reclaimed cross-laminated timber (CLT) systems.
🪨 Mineral case study – innovative smart crushers improving material liberation and recyclability.
⚙️ Digital integration – decision-support tools for efficient waste management and circular construction.

📌 Stay tuned for more events from CIRCULess!