CircularConstruction_Copilot

AI Quick Summary

To boost the systemic transformation by shortening the learning curve for all industry stakeholders, the CircularConstruction_Copilot is introducing digital means for open knowledge sharing in the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation) industry, adapted to the specific needs of planners engaged in circular and sustainable construction. What problem would you like to solve?​“As an architect, I want to build a facade that is esthetically pleasing and compliant with existing laws - it should also be as circular as possible.”Everyone has heard of circular construction, but it is difficult to find orientation in the many resources and initiatives around circularity. Even when you want to build along circular principles, where do you start? You haven’t learned about it in your education since there are no standards yet. You might know an expert, but their consultancy can be expensive. In the end, you propose a solution which might quickly be dismissed by other stakeholders in the project because it is not elaborate enough and not known by the establishment. In other words: one of the reasons why the use of circular building materials and methods is still in its infancy, is the planners' lack of knowledge about existing solutions and the best way to implement them in individual projects. A growing knowledge about methods, rules and norms is there but scattered and not very accessible. On top, the conventional process of learning from one's own experiences and thus achieving change is too slow for the transformation required. The necessary systemic transformation must take place more quickly. New methods of knowledge transfer and joint improvement are therefore required to accelerate implementation.The phenomenon of new technologies entering an industry and changing the way of working is not yet very present in the construction industry. It is common though in other industries, especially in the ICT sector. Here, continuous change is the status quo. Accordingly, tools have been established that make it easier for stakeholders to permanently adapt to new methods. To boost the systemic transformation by shortening the learning curve for all industry stakeholders, CC_Copilot is introducing some of these tools for open and dynamic knowledge sharing to the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation) industry. The proposal is adapted to the specific needs of planners, consultants, facility management and owners and asset managers engaged in circular and sustainable construction. Who will benefit from your solution and how?​The aim of the project is to provide all stakeholders with an interactive, AI based tool that provides a) orientation on existing initiatives, services, standards etc. and enables b) expert to expert to laymen communication.The tool will offer two key features: Question & Answer functionality for interactive discussionsAI based chat bot that will answer questions based on a curated knowledge baseThe Question & Answer functionality (think “Stack Overflow” [1] or “Reddit” [2]) is focused on providing a forum to pose questions, answer these questions and rate both accordingly to their relevance:Questions can be posed by the community and answered from everyone with a loginMultiple answers per question are possible, demonstrating that there is not only one way to approach a problem Questions and individual answers can be “upvoted” so they are sorted by their relevance for the communityQuestions and answers will show up also in google results which will increase visibilityExamples: As an architect, I want to optimise my facade regarding the use of reused components or recycled materials as well as optimise its separability and de-constructability.I upload a drawing of my actual setup and ask: “Is there an insulation that can replace a 150mm EPS insulation but is recyclable.”User1: “In our project in Wädenswil, we used this material to solve it. The authorities accepted it because we got a specific certification from the manufacturer.”User2: “Be careful with the dew point though, you need to use a second membrane INSIDE to avoid moist.”As a consultant, I want to create an LCA analysis. The team wants to use a new product called Hempcrete. I don’t know what CO2 eq. I should take into account, since it is a material mix that is produced on site and can vary. Question in the forum: “What CO2 eq. should I take into account for a 30 cm thick wall?”User 1: “You could look it up at this website or ask company xy, they also build walls with hempcrete.”User 2: “In my last project we used 35kg because …”User 3 - 5: not relevant inputThe answer of User 2 is helpful and gets upvoted so it will be more visible for everyone who looks up the same question.Additionally, an AI based chatbot (think “Bing’s copilot” [3]) will be implemented as a feature to answer the questions upon request by the users.The focus of this tool is to provide orientation on existing standardisation initiatives and services based on a document retrieval process. The bot will give his answers based on a curated list of sources (website, documents) and will always be able to also name the source for their feedback.Key benefits are:Dynamic knowledge sharing. All stakeholders can use the CC_copilot to find answers to their questions regarding circularity. Since the tool is expandable and scalable, other initiatives can use the tool to set up a structured process for knowledge building and sharing around specific topics like reuse of certain elements etc.Hands-on digital empowerment. AI is quite a buzzword. This project will give many people and organisations that are willing to engage in a hands-on experience on how to make use of this upcoming technology and sustainably improve their digital skills. Potentially, the framework can also be transferred to primarily internal use cases for structured knowledge sharing within a company.Who are the existing persons/companies in your team and what is their role?Initiators: - opensource.construction is a non-profit organisation that supports organisations from the AECO industry to boost their digital transformation by leveraging the concepts of open source and open collaboration. It was founded in 2022 in Zurich and has established further chapters in Germany, Denmark and the UK. - The Circular Construction Catalyst (C33 - Swiss Coordination Center for Circular Construction) is the neutral interface for dialogue on circular construction in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. C33 provides the basis for coordination and collaboration, creates a common understanding of the circular economy in construction and identifies what is needed for the rapid implementation of circularity within this sector. C33 results are published as a basis and best practices so that relevant specialised bodies can further develop and implement them.Research Partner:- The Institut für Life Sciences und Facility Management is an interdisciplinary teaching and research institute of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Its goal is to contribute to developing and managing living and working environments in a sustainable and healthy way. Research priorities are sustainable real estate, digital FM, healthy workplaces and FM in health care.Industry Partner: - Circular Hub, has initiated the founding of the C33 Association, together with CRB and with support of 40 industry stakeholders, who signed a Letter of Intent supporting the development of an expertise centre for circular construction in Switzerland. Since 2019 Circular Hub has contributed to position circular construction as a solution to the challenges of co2 emissions and limited resource availability in the swiss market.See Project Image: All stakeholders signed a Letter of Intent for the Circular Construction Catalyst C33, March 2024People:Marloes Fischer, Gründerin C33 and Founder @ Circular Hub > Circular Economy, Construction and Real Estate, Transformation Management and continuous improvementKira Kulik, @ Circular Hub > Circular Design and Construction, Environmental EngineerMax Reichen, Software Engineer @ liipMaximilian Vomhof, Founder @ opensource.construction > Architect, Facilitator and Technology Expert Isabelle Wrase, Professorin @ Institut für Facility Management, School of Life Sciences and Facility Management, Zurich University of Applied SciencesHow does your challenge have a positive impact on the planet (e.g., material reduction, CO2 emission reduction)?​The solution aims to facilitate and increase the accessibility of reuse for numerous stakeholders across the value chain of real estate and construction. This translates into reduced demand for (new) materials, leading to decreased primary material extraction and a consequent reduction in embodied carbon and CO2 emissions. Additionally, it promotes the development of the necessary skills and expertise for all involved, streamlining the handling of a.o. reuse in planning and construction processes, as well as supporting life time extension through sustainable facility management. Moreover, by enabling the exchange of experiences and creative ideas on a broader scale, it fosters greater innovation and scales learning experiences within the industry. Has your idea been tested before?The idea of having a community driven approach of knowledge sharing is prominent in other industries and demonstrated by the success of the following platforms:Stack Overflow [1] is a question and answer site for professional and enthusiast programmers. It's built and run as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With the help of their users, they are working together to build a library of detailed, high-quality answers to every question about programming. Stack overflow is one of the web’s most frequented website with over 20 million registered users and 24 million questions and 35 million answers.Reddit [2] is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words "I read it."Users can also comment on posts after creating an account. Commenting is one of Reddit's core features, and it is the primary way for users to interact with each other, besides private messaging. Comments, like posts, can be voted on by users and are then ranked accordingly. The comment with the highest number of votes sits at the top of the comment section and is referred to as the top comment. Reddit has more than 1.5 billion registered users, 430 million users are active monthly and another 52 million of them use the site daily.ZüriCityGPT [4] is a project from the city of Zurich to make the manifold content from their diverse websites easily accessible through a chat based conversation.OpenAi - ChatGPT [5] is the well known poster child of AI chatbots that leverage large language models to enable a conversational interaction between users and a machine. The prototype of the proposed solution would be built based on existing solutions like Chat_GPT and ZuriCityGPT. To keep costs low and sovereignty high, further versions are planned to be build on open source models like Llama [6]. The prototype will also include commenting and voting functionalities based on solutions like Reddit and Stack Overflow.What are you planning on working on throughout the booster (e.g., developing the business model, building an initial prototype, material for prototyping, etc.)? What will you deliver at the end of the booster?Worth noting in this context: we do not need nor want to invent new technologies to make the CC_Copilot happen. On this note, we need to make sure we pick the right existing components to enable a lean and cost-effective operation of the tool.Deliveries:Description of detailed Use Cases Prototype for a hands-on experience to intuitively demonstrate the potential of the proposed knowledge hub applicationTechnical specifications of an MVPBusiness plan for building and maintaining the toolFirst version of Rule Book for the community driven curation of the content and the operation of the toolEstablish a core team of organisations willing to support the projectDocumentation of the process and the learnings on social media Our goal is to get the flywheel spinning through connecting relevant communities with the CC_Copilot project. What are you expecting from the booster (e.g., looking for specific partners, expert support, etc.)?Thoughts about this approach have been around for quite a while, time and resources to get it off the ground were so far not available. We therefore want to use the CBI Booster to promote the idea and investigate its acceptance with the help of the exposure we get through the CBI Booster Program. In addition the booster enables the development of the business case with a clear understanding of the customer and financial needs.How will you attract 3rd party funding (10% of the total funding amount)?The third-party funding of 2,000 CHF will be provided in the form of a time investment from the stakeholders. For the collaboration we can tap into the existing network of the Circular Construction Catalyst (C33). In 2023 Letters of Intent were collected from 40 stakeholders, who confirmed the need for a collaborative approach and committed their time to co-create towards a scalable circular built environment. The 40 stakeholders are shown in the description of our ‘partners’ and the project image. In a workshop held in October 2023, this network already gathered and brainstormed various ideas concerning scaling circular construction in Switzerland, during which the idea for this project also emerged. Similarly, two workshops will be organised during the 6-month Booster period, for which relevant partners will be invited to collaborate on this concept, thereby investing their time accordingly. With a rate of 150 CHF per hour and assuming the participation of 8 partners at 2 sessions of 4 hours, the total time investment would amount to 4’800 CHF, so app. 5’000 CHF, effectively covering the 10% expected for the third party funding. Sources[1] https://stackoverflow.com/[2] https://www.reddit.com/[3] https://www.bing.com/chat?q=Bing+AI&FORM=hpcodx[4] https://zuericitygpt.ch/[5] https://chat.openai.com/[6] https://llama.meta.com/

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: CircularConstruction_Copilot
• Date: 3/15/2024 8:34:38 AM
• Administrators:
  • Kira Kulik

Project Idea Description

What problem would you like to solve?​

“As an architect, I want to build a facade that is esthetically pleasing and compliant with existing laws - it should also be as circular as possible.”

Everyone has heard of circular construction, but it is difficult to find orientation in the many resources and initiatives around circularity. Even when you want to build along circular principles, where do you start? You haven’t learned about it in your education since there are no standards yet. You might know an expert, but their consultancy can be expensive. In the end, you propose a solution which might quickly be dismissed by other stakeholders in the project because it is not elaborate enough and not known by the establishment.

In other words: one of the reasons why the use of circular building materials and methods is still in its infancy, is the planners' lack of knowledge about existing solutions and the best way to implement them in individual projects. A growing knowledge about methods, rules and norms is there but scattered and not very accessible. On top, the conventional process of learning from one's own experiences and thus achieving change is too slow for the transformation required. The necessary systemic transformation must take place more quickly. New methods of knowledge transfer and joint improvement are therefore required to accelerate implementation.

The phenomenon of new technologies entering an industry and changing the way of working is not yet very present in the construction industry. It is common though in other industries, especially in the ICT sector. Here, continuous change is the status quo. Accordingly, tools have been established that make it easier for stakeholders to permanently adapt to new methods.

To boost the systemic transformation by shortening the learning curve for all industry stakeholders, CC_Copilot is introducing some of these tools for open and dynamic knowledge sharing to the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation) industry. The proposal is adapted to the specific needs of planners, consultants, facility management and owners and asset managers engaged in circular and sustainable construction.

Who will benefit from your solution and how?​

The aim of the project is to provide all stakeholders with an interactive, AI based tool that provides a) orientation on existing initiatives, services, standards etc. and enables b) expert to expert to laymen communication.

The tool will offer two key features:

1. Question & Answer functionality for interactive discussions
2. AI based chat bot that will answer questions based on a curated knowledge base

The Question & Answer functionality (think “Stack Overflow” [1] or “Reddit” [2]) is focused on providing a forum to pose questions, answer these questions and rate both accordingly to their relevance:

• Questions can be posed by the community and answered from everyone with a login
• Multiple answers per question are possible, demonstrating that there is not only one way to approach a problem
• Questions and individual answers can be “upvoted” so they are sorted by their relevance for the community
• Questions and answers will show up also in google results which will increase visibility

Examples:

As an architect, I want to optimise my facade regarding the use of reused components or recycled materials as well as optimise its separability and de-constructability.

I upload a drawing of my actual setup and ask: “Is there an insulation that can replace a 150mm EPS insulation but is recyclable.”

User1: “In our project in Wädenswil, we used this material to solve it. The authorities accepted it because we got a specific certification from the manufacturer.”

User2: “Be careful with the dew point though, you need to use a second membrane INSIDE to avoid moist.”

As a consultant, I want to create an LCA analysis. The team wants to use a new product called Hempcrete. I don’t know what CO2 eq. I should take into account, since it is a material mix that is produced on site and can vary. Question in the forum: “What CO2 eq. should I take into account for a 30 cm thick wall?”

User 1: “You could look it up at this website or ask company xy, they also build walls with hempcrete.”

User 2: “In my last project we used 35kg because …”

User 3 - 5: not relevant input

The answer of User 2 is helpful and gets upvoted so it will be more visible for everyone who looks up the same question.

Additionally, an AI based chatbot (think “Bing’s copilot” [3]) will be implemented as a feature to answer the questions upon request by the users.

The focus of this tool is to provide orientation on existing standardisation initiatives and services based on a document retrieval process. The bot will give his answers based on a curated list of sources (website, documents) and will always be able to also name the source for their feedback.

Key benefits are:

• Dynamic knowledge sharing. All stakeholders can use the CC_copilot to find answers to their questions regarding circularity. Since the tool is expandable and scalable, other initiatives can use the tool to set up a structured process for knowledge building and sharing around specific topics like reuse of certain elements etc.
• Hands-on digital empowerment. AI is quite a buzzword. This project will give many people and organisations that are willing to engage in a hands-on experience on how to make use of this upcoming technology and sustainably improve their digital skills. Potentially, the framework can also be transferred to primarily internal use cases for structured knowledge sharing within a company.

Who are the existing persons/companies in your team and what is their role?

Initiators:

- opensource.construction is a non-profit organisation that supports organisations from the AECO industry to boost their digital transformation by leveraging the concepts of open source and open collaboration. It was founded in 2022 in Zurich and has established further chapters in Germany, Denmark and the UK.

- The Circular Construction Catalyst (C33 - Swiss Coordination Center for Circular Construction) is the neutral interface for dialogue on circular construction in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. C33 provides the basis for coordination and collaboration, creates a common understanding of the circular economy in construction and identifies what is needed for the rapid implementation of circularity within this sector. C33 results are published as a basis and best practices so that relevant specialised bodies can further develop and implement them.

Research Partner:

- The Institut für Life Sciences und Facility Management is an interdisciplinary teaching and research institute of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Its goal is to contribute to developing and managing living and working environments in a sustainable and healthy way. Research priorities are sustainable real estate, digital FM, healthy workplaces and FM in health care.

Industry Partner:

- Circular Hub, has initiated the founding of the C33 Association, together with CRB and with support of 40 industry stakeholders, who signed a Letter of Intent supporting the development of an expertise centre for circular construction in Switzerland. Since 2019 Circular Hub has contributed to position circular construction as a solution to the challenges of co2 emissions and limited resource availability in the swiss market.

See Project Image: All stakeholders signed a Letter of Intent for the Circular Construction Catalyst C33, March 2024

People:

• Marloes Fischer, Gründerin C33 and Founder @ Circular Hub > Circular Economy, Construction and Real Estate, Transformation Management and continuous improvement
• Kira Kulik, @ Circular Hub > Circular Design and Construction, Environmental Engineer
• Max Reichen, Software Engineer @ liip
• Maximilian Vomhof, Founder @ opensource.construction > Architect, Facilitator and Technology Expert
• Isabelle Wrase, Professorin @ Institut für Facility Management, School of Life Sciences and Facility Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences

How does your challenge have a positive impact on the planet (e.g., material reduction, CO2 emission reduction)?​

The solution aims to facilitate and increase the accessibility of reuse for numerous stakeholders across the value chain of real estate and construction. This translates into reduced demand for (new) materials, leading to decreased primary material extraction and a consequent reduction in embodied carbon and CO2 emissions. Additionally, it promotes the development of the necessary skills and expertise for all involved, streamlining the handling of a.o. reuse in planning and construction processes, as well as supporting life time extension through sustainable facility management. Moreover, by enabling the exchange of experiences and creative ideas on a broader scale, it fosters greater innovation and scales learning experiences within the industry.

Has your idea been tested before?

The idea of having a community driven approach of knowledge sharing is prominent in other industries and demonstrated by the success of the following platforms:

Stack Overflow [1] is a question and answer site for professional and enthusiast programmers. It's built and run as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With the help of their users, they are working together to build a library of detailed, high-quality answers to every question about programming. Stack overflow is one of the web’s most frequented website with over 20 million registered users and 24 million questions and 35 million answers.

Reddit [2] is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words "I read it."

Users can also comment on posts after creating an account. Commenting is one of Reddit's core features, and it is the primary way for users to interact with each other, besides private messaging. Comments, like posts, can be voted on by users and are then ranked accordingly. The comment with the highest number of votes sits at the top of the comment section and is referred to as the top comment. Reddit has more than 1.5 billion registered users, 430 million users are active monthly and another 52 million of them use the site daily.

ZüriCityGPT [4] is a project from the city of Zurich to make the manifold content from their diverse websites easily accessible through a chat based conversation.

OpenAi - ChatGPT [5] is the well known poster child of AI chatbots that leverage large language models to enable a conversational interaction between users and a machine.

The prototype of the proposed solution would be built based on existing solutions like Chat_GPT and ZuriCityGPT. To keep costs low and sovereignty high, further versions are planned to be build on open source models like Llama [6]. The prototype will also include commenting and voting functionalities based on solutions like Reddit and Stack Overflow.

What are you planning on working on throughout the booster (e.g., developing the business model, building an initial prototype, material for prototyping, etc.)? What will you deliver at the end of the booster?

Worth noting in this context: we do not need nor want to invent new technologies to make the CC_Copilot happen. On this note, we need to make sure we pick the right existing components to enable a lean and cost-effective operation of the tool.

Deliveries:

• Description of detailed Use Cases
• Prototype for a hands-on experience to intuitively demonstrate the potential of the proposed knowledge hub application
• Technical specifications of an MVP
• Business plan for building and maintaining the tool
• First version of Rule Book for the community driven curation of the content and the operation of the tool
• Establish a core team of organisations willing to support the project
• Documentation of the process and the learnings on social media

Our goal is to get the flywheel spinning through connecting relevant communities with the CC_Copilot project.

What are you expecting from the booster (e.g., looking for specific partners, expert support, etc.)?

Thoughts about this approach have been around for quite a while, time and resources to get it off the ground were so far not available. We therefore want to use the CBI Booster to promote the idea and investigate its acceptance with the help of the exposure we get through the CBI Booster Program. In addition the booster enables the development of the business case with a clear understanding of the customer and financial needs.

How will you attract 3rd party funding (10% of the total funding amount)?

The third-party funding of 2,000 CHF will be provided in the form of a time investment from the stakeholders. For the collaboration we can tap into the existing network of the Circular Construction Catalyst (C33). In 2023 Letters of Intent were collected from 40 stakeholders, who confirmed the need for a collaborative approach and committed their time to co-create towards a scalable circular built environment. The 40 stakeholders are shown in the description of our ‘partners’ and the project image. In a workshop held in October 2023, this network already gathered and brainstormed various ideas concerning scaling circular construction in Switzerland, during which the idea for this project also emerged.

Similarly, two workshops will be organised during the 6-month Booster period, for which relevant partners will be invited to collaborate on this concept, thereby investing their time accordingly. With a rate of 150 CHF per hour and assuming the participation of 8 partners at 2 sessions of 4 hours, the total time investment would amount to 4’800 CHF, so app. 5’000 CHF, effectively covering the 10% expected for the third party funding.

Sources

[1] https://stackoverflow.com/

[2] https://www.reddit.com/

[3] https://www.bing.com/chat?q=Bing+AI&FORM=hpcodx

[4] https://zuericitygpt.ch/

[5] https://chat.openai.com/

[6] https://llama.meta.com/

To boost the systemic transformation by shortening the learning curve for all industry stakeholders, the CircularConstruction_Copilot is introducing digital means for open knowledge sharing in the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation) industry, adapted to the specific needs of planners engaged in circular and sustainable construction.