Sustainable digital wood: Framework for wood circular economy by digital construction

We are a Japan-based cross-sector consortium of industry and academia dedicated to advancing environmentally sustainable and efficient construction practices through research and technological innovation that directly enable timber material circulation. We focus on wood as a renewable, carbon-sequestering resource central to a circular construction. By systematically capturing and managing information on the unique properties and ageing of timber throughout its lifecycle and integrating this with automated processing and construction practices, we aim to give buildings high metabolic capacity, allowing them to function as part of a continuous timber circulation system, while simultaneously supporting a broader societal framework that efficiently accumulates and redistributes wood.

This session seeks to transform the industrial structure of timber production, distribution, processing, construction, recovery, and reuse through digital technology. Recognising that challenges in timber material circulation are shared globally, we invite ambitious international collaboration to jointly validate and advance specific technological solutions adapted to local contexts. To realise this vision, we integrate four key technologies: (1) Material Passports for continuous lifecycle data management; (2) Bundled Construction Methods for disassembly and reuse; (3) a Digital Twin Design Environment for monitoring and simulation; and (4) Small-Scale Distributed Robotic Construction. Together, these systems demonstrate a practical pathway toward a circular wood-based construction economy.