09/21/2026
🏗️ What if today’s buildings became the materials for tomorrow’s? ♻️
Cornell Systems Engineering faculty member Felix Heisel joined Research Matters to explore the future of circular construction—designing buildings and materials with reuse, deconstruction, and their entire lifecycle in mind.
Through his work with the Circular Construction Lab, Felix is helping rethink the traditional “take, make, waste” model of construction and exploring how new technologies can make material reuse more practical.
🤖 One exciting example? His team is exploring how AI and machine learning could help grade salvaged lumber using images captured with a smartphone—potentially making structural material reuse more accessible to contractors.
🌎 From circular design and urban mining to AI, policy, and material reuse, Felix shares how innovation across disciplines could help transform the future of the built environment.
🎥 Watch the full conversation with Felix Heisel on Research Matters: https://tinyurl.com/2uczb9de