Reincarnate D1.1 – An ontology for circular management of buildings

Currently, there is no widely agreed-upon set of terms and ideas related to the circular economy within the built environment. This absence of a shared understanding of the language and concepts can result in confusion and difficulties in comprehending and putting circular economy principles into practice. Therefore, there is a need for a well-defined framework that tackles this issue to facilitate the adoption of circular building management practices. This report highlights the significance of a structured framework and the role of knowledge representation in enabling circular economy practices by proposing theReincarnate Ontology (ReOn). We have utilized existing ontologies such as IFC and Circular Economy Ontology Network (CEON) to encompass and structure different concepts within the Reincarnate project. The proposed ontology serves as the backbone of the Reincarnate project, facilitating the efficient management of building data and processes. Implementation of the Reincarnate Ontology (ReOn) involves the integration of various technologies and interoperability solutions. This approach ensures that data related to construction products, materials, and waste management is readily accessible, reliable, and in alignment with circular economy practices. The implementation process, detailed in this report, outlines the integration of ReOn into CPIM, its interaction with external databases for comprehensive data handling. Furthermore, we will present two detailed use cases involving the recycling of windows and concrete. These examples showcase how the IFC schema can be effectively leveraged to construct knowledge graphs and capture the intricate data necessary for informed circular decision-making processes. This work contributes not just to theoretical discussions but provides a tangible tool for advancing circular building management practices.