🌍 Environmental
Facilitates construction material reuse, reduces virgin extraction, and minimizes landfill — directly supporting Scotland's transition to net zero.
Built Environment · Scotland
TRACE: Transforming Resources and Advancing Circular Economy
Developing a blockchain digital marketplace for construction material reuse hubs. A trustworthy, real-time tracking system connecting stakeholders across Scotland's reuse ecosystem.
The Challenge
Scotland faces a critical construction waste challenge. Currently, we're only 1.3% circular1—meaning almost all materials (98.7%) come from new sources rather than being reused. Construction and demolition create up to half of Scotland's total waste2 and about 61% of all UK waste3. Despite high recovery rates, roughly 1 in 8 tonnes of construction waste4 still goes to landfill.
1.3%
Scotland's current circular economy rate
98.7%
Circularity gap to close
50%
Scotland's waste from construction
61%
UK total waste from construction
Source: Arup - Unlocking value in buildings: developing the business case for building circular
The Solution
TRACE will address this challenge by developing a blockchain-enabled digital marketplace that will revolutionize how Scotland's construction industry tracks materials, secures funding, and governs sustainable practices. The platform aims to tackle two fundamental barriers: limited reuse hub coverage and the lack of reliable, real-time information about available reclaimed materials.
Enhanced Traceability Through Blockchain
Once operational, TRACE will leverage blockchain's immutable ledger to create an unbreakable chain of custody for construction materials from demolition through to reuse. Each material will receive a digital passport recorded on-chain, capturing its origin, composition, structural properties, and environmental certifications. IoT sensors will continuously update material conditions, while QR codes will provide instant field access to complete histories.
Measurable Impact Through Distributed Verification
Every transaction on TRACE will contribute to Scotland's circular economy metrics through blockchain's distributed verification system. Environmental impact data will be automatically aggregated and audited on-chain, providing regulators with real-time progress toward the 2030 Route Map targets.
By combining blockchain's trust architecture with practical construction industry needs, TRACE will transform circular economy policy goals into operational reality. The platform is designed to make it not just possible but profitable for architects, engineers, contractors, and developers to choose reclaimed materials—positioning Scotland's construction sector to shift from 98.7% linear to increasingly circular, one verified block at a time.
Source: Arup - Unlocking value in buildings: developing the business case for building circular
Why This Matters
💰 Economic
Explores the commercial viability of scaling digital reuse solutions, enabling new revenue for demolition contractors and cost savings for builders.
🚀 Industry Innovation
Provides a tangible, open tool designed to promote circularity and digital adoption across Scotland's AEC industry.
📜 Policy Alignment
Supports the Scottish Government's circular economy and waste route map to 2030 and contributes to UN SDG 12.
Long-term Vision
Make reused materials as accessible and trustworthy as virgin alternatives; support job creation; reduce environmental impact; and inform policy via evidence-based recommendations for reuse-hub networks.
Source: Arup - Unlocking value in buildings: developing the business case for building circular
Team
Dr Michele Victoria
Lecturer, RGU, Co-investigator
Dr. Michele Victoria is passionate about sustainability and dedicated to driving real-world impact through her research in embodied carbon, circular economy, and sustainable construction. She leads and collaborates on projects that shape policy and practice toward a more sustainable built environment.
LinkedIn →
Dr Theo Dounas
Associate Professor, HWU, Co-investigator
Dr Theo Dounas is an architect and engineer working in the digital strand of architecture and systems. Dounas is an expert in blockchain technology, generative and parametric systems, and the seamless integration of design processes with fabrication methods.
LinkedIn →
Magdalena Blazusiak
Vice Chair, Scottish Ecological Design Association
Magdalena, Vice Chair of the Scottish Ecological Design Association and Chartered Architectural Technologist, focuses her research and practice on planetary health, thriving communities and ecologically ethical decision making in retrofit of housing in a location specific, neighborhood scale context.
LinkedIn →
Gigi Jiang
Postdoctoral researcher, Circular Economy
Gigi focuses on circular practices and behaviour change. On TRACE she convenes partners and turns workshop and survey insights into pilots, data schemas and clear communications. Trained in participatory and mixed-methods research with a graphic-design background, she pairs stakeholder engagement and evidence synthesis with Python-based data work to produce accessible, people-centred outputs.
LinkedIn →
Hico Mc Donald
Co-Founder, Adventurous Systems
Hico Mc Donald is a civil and Web3 engineer and Co-Founder of Adventurous Systems, co-leading the development of Web3 and AI-enabled digital-twin infrastructure for the built environment. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in construction and renewable energy, he integrates blockchain verification and data interoperability to advance transparency and circular practices across the AEC sector.
LinkedIn →Our Partners
Stirling Reuse Hub
Providing operational insights and a real‑world testing environment for construction material reuse.
Adventurous Systems
Technical development and prototype hosting expertise for Web3 and AI-enabled digital twins.
Heriot-Watt University
Academic research partner specializing in digital design and construction technologies.
Robert Gordon University
Academic research partner focused on embodied carbon management and circular economy research.
Scotland Beyond Net Zero
Collaboration of climate and sustainability experts mobilizing research and innovation to accelerate Scotland's transition to Beyond Net Zero.
Our Methodology
We combine Design Thinking and Design Science research to ensure the solution meets actual user needs.
Empathise
Visit SRH to observe operations and logistics. Run workshops with demolition contractors, architects, and builders. Collect data on supply-chain challenges.
Define
Clarify problem scope and prototype boundaries. Identify key personas and their needs.
Ideate
Brainstorm digital solutions. Select the most suitable and economical approach.
Prototype
Build two UIs: non-expert (quantities, size, origin, cost) and expert (certifications, embodied carbon). Implement core functions using smart contracts & blockchain.
Evaluate
Test functionality and usability. Fix bugs and validate economic viability with real users.
Knowledge Sharing
We are committed to open dissemination of findings throughout the project.
📚 Publications
Q1 journals and peer‑reviewed conferences documenting methods, datasets, and results.
🎙️ Webinars & Workshops
Industry‑focused sessions sharing lessons with demolition contractors, architects, and reuse hubs.
🎉 Science Festivals
Public engagement in Aberdeen and Edinburgh to promote circularity in construction.
📝 Blog & Social
Regular progress updates, datasets, and behind‑the‑scenes posts.
🌐 Project Website
Central hub for prototypes, documentation, and calls to collaborate.
Project Timeline
Duration: August 2025 – July 2026. The research is structured in three work packages running over 12 months, moving from stakeholder engagement through prototype development to testing and dissemination.
Engagement
Stakeholder interviews, hub visits, workshops, and requirements gathering.
Prototype
Design & build the marketplace MVP and tracking functions.
Testing & Dissemination
User testing, iteration, and publication of findings via journals, workshops, and events.
Get Involved
TRACE represents a collaborative effort to solve one of Scotland’s most pressing sustainability challenges. We welcome engagement from construction industry professionals, policymakers, and community organizations interested in supporting the transition to a circular economy. Subscribe to our mailing list here.
Supported by the Scotland Beyond Net Zero Seed Fund 2025.