Robotic approach to overcome traditional demolition and progress towards controlled deconstruction

The construction sector faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate its substantial contribution to global waste streams, with demolition alone generating a major share within the EU. Controlled deconstruction in sense of recovering components non-destructively for reuse offers a viable alternative to conventional demolition but remains labor-intensive and potentially hazardous. This paper investigates how on-site robotics can enable automated, safe, and material-preserving deconstruction through a feedback loop in a design-to-process flow. Building on robot-oriented de-/construction research, we develop and implement a robotic unbolting workflow tailored to reclaim beams from a modular steel demonstrator. The system integrates multi-sensor feedback to localize, align with, and remove standardized bolts under realistic construction site conditions. Iterative field trials demonstrate that the robot can repeatedly execute non-destructive unbolting without manual intervention, reliably recovering connection members while keeping workers at a safe distance. The results highlight the feasibility of robotic, controlled deconstruction and point toward future integration of sensing-informed autonomy within circular construction ecosystems.