Work

The “New” Materiality of Reconstruction: On-Site Automated Recycling of Rubble Aggregates for Rebuilding Earthquake-Stricken Villages

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Post-disaster reconstruction remains largely excluded from circular-economy ap-proaches. This gap is particularly evident in earthquake-affected inner territories, where reconstruction faces severe logistical constraints—especially rubble manage-ment—and where debris is often composed of materials closely tied to local building cultures and community identities. In these contexts, rebuilding still follows linear, emergency-driven models that treat rubble primarily as waste. This study introduces Rubble as a Material Bank (RMB), a digital–material framework that reconceptualises earthquake rubble as a traceable and programmable resource for circular reconstruc-tion. RMB defines a rubble-to-component chain integrating material characterisation, data-driven management, robotic fabrication, and reversible architectural design. Se-lected downstream segments are experimentally validated through the TRAP project, developed within the European TARGET-X program. The experimentation focuses on extrusion-based fabrication of dry-assembled wall components using rubble-derived aggregates. Results show that digitally governed workflows can enable material reuse while revealing technical and regulatory constraints on large-scale implementation.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su18020850

Authors: Roberto Ruggiero, Pio Lorenzo Cocco, Roberto Cognoli

Institution: Università di Camerino

Language: English

Topic: Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies

Subfield: Transportation

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896