BIM-driven transformation of waste management toward enhanced reduction and circularity in the built environment

: Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) results in substantial environmental, economic and social losses. Alternatively, Building Information Modeling (BIM) was pointed as a promising technology to achieve zero-waste goals. Recent studies showed that BIM use for CDW Management and Assessment (CDWM/A) is still limited and needs a better understanding. This research addresses this gap through a systematic review. The study revealed that BIM disposes of 5 instruments and 6 functionalities that allow important CDW minimization and inclusion of extrinsic CDWM/A resources into an integrated environment. The paper classified 39 CDWM/A guidelines into 3 categories and examined 15 data inventories supporting the analysis of CDW plans and impacts. nD-BIM data scalability was demonstrated to ensure integration of these resources into a single model, enabling multiparametric simulations and accurate CDWM/A. Similarly, the study discloses 57 digital tools used to assist CDWM/A and develop new solutions, and other 51 to manage/assess CDW environmental impacts. BIM interoperability was confirmed to foster an inclusive environment in which tools can collaborate and operate with 19 other technologies, ensuring enhanced CDWM/A and leveraging existing wares. Accordingly, the paper introduces nD BIM-WMS, a CDWM/A system disclosing how intrinsic and extrinsic BIM environments can be interconnected to enable efficient BIM-based CDWM/A through a practical algorithm maximizing the 4R principle reward, thereby supporting balanced, well-managed, and optimized sustainability. Overall, the study affirms BIM's potential to advance zero-net waste and equips scholars and practitioners with well-founded knowledge and methodological system, paving the path for grounded research, regulation, and innovation in this field.