Thanks to the integration of materials passports and building information management within Reburg’s built environment, it was only a matter of time before autonomous learning systems would use the abundance of data on the use of buildings and their components to provide insights on how to enhance the building performance. The data is also shared with registered building configurators (previously known as architect and engineer) to assist building users to transform the building based on a detailed circular building assessment.
In the last decades, Reburg has witnessed the evolution from automated and smart buildings to cognitive buildings. Cognitive buildings contain sensors and appliances, which are linked to Internet of Things (IoT) devices and a machine learning system. By monitoring real-time energy and water consumption, operational waste and indoor air emissions, suggestions are given to change the settings of technical services and user behaviour in order to improve building performance. When a building component needs maintenance or repair, the owner and building stock managers are informed. Machine learning can even provide design assistance in case a change in building function is required. The transformation capacity and reuse potential related to each possible building or spatial configuration is calculated and presented to the building configurator (previously known as  architect and engineer) and (new) building users, through the use of a digital twin of the building. Circular building assessment tools can be linked to this digital twin, in order to refine the environmental impacts, financial costs and social added value of the selected design options.
Not all citizens are keen on sharing building use data with others, because they are afraid of misuse and potential hacking. For this reason, some residents of the Pangaea Palace did not opt for a cognitive dwelling unit. Reburg’s administration is currently working on policy measures to regulate privacy of building use data and secure it from criminal use.
