CRÉER BIM-EC: Towards Smart, Sustainable and Circular Road Infrastructures

The CRÉER BIM-EC project is an innovative European initiative dedicated to the development of smart, sustainable and circular road infrastructures. Implemented within the framework of the Interreg NEXT Italy-Tunisia programme, the project brings together several Euro-Mediterranean partners around a shared objective: to design and build in Tunisia a smart road pavement prototype integrating advanced solutions for circular economy, digital transformation and resource recovery.

This new generation of road infrastructure aims to respond to today’s key challenges, including climate change, sustainable resource management and the reduction of the environmental impact of construction activities. The prototype developed within the project will integrate recycled materials derived from construction and demolition waste, recover rainwater, harvest thermal and mechanical energy, and improve the overall performance of road infrastructures.

At the heart of the project, the BIM – Building Information Modeling methodology plays a central role. It enables better coordination between technical and scientific partners, supports the management of digital models and data, optimizes technical and environmental decisions, and ensures full traceability throughout the project phases. Through BIM, CRÉER BIM-EC promotes a more efficient management of the infrastructure life cycle, from design and construction to maintenance and performance evaluation.

The project consortium brings together academic, technical and institutional actors, including the Università degli Studi di Palermo, as lead partner, the University of Tunis El Manar, the Agence Foncière d’Habitation, Respect Environnement Group and Safety & Engineering. Within this framework, Respect Environnement Group contributes particularly to activities related to circular economy, the valorisation of construction and demolition waste, and the integration of sustainable solutions into road infrastructures.

The project is structured around three main working groups. The first focuses on the road prototype, including the design of the sustainable pavement, hydraulic systems, energy recovery, construction, control and maintenance. The second working group is dedicated to BIM methodology, digital model management, data-sharing platforms, and the analysis of technical and environmental performance. The third working group focuses on communication and dissemination, including workshops, conferences, scientific publications, and digital and institutional communication.

The expected results of the CRÉER BIM-EC project include the construction of a real smart and sustainable road pavement prototype, the development of new environmental indicators, the improvement of material circularity in infrastructures, the transfer of knowledge between European and Tunisian partners, and the development of green and digital market opportunities. The main indicators studied include life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, material circularity index, energy performance and the quantity of recovered water.

The project runs from 15 May 2025 to 14 May 2028, with an estimated total budget of €1.2 million. It includes a 40% pre-financing of the European contribution, administrative and financial monitoring through the JEMS platform, regular expenditure controls and reporting, as well as compliance with environmental rules and the DNSH – Do No Significant Harm principle.

CRÉER BIM-EC also builds on the achievements of the REMED project, which focused on the use of recycled materials from demolition waste in road infrastructures. Through this new initiative, the partners aim to take a further step by combining circular economy, technological innovation and digital transformation in support of more sustainable, resilient and future-ready infrastructures.