An investigation of digital infrastructure’s role in repair and reuse of timber-based components in multi-story timber buildings: an interdisciplinary case study of digital product passport

Abstract

Sustainability in the built environment is closely linked to the service life of material-intensive assets. In timber multi-story buildings, this challenge is intensified by evolving design guidance, non-harmonized product declarations, and incomplete documentation of engineering decisions. This study focused on digital infrastructure supporting the assessment, repair, and reuse of structural components in light timber frame (LTF) buildings. Building on Finnish national guidance RIL 277-2024 [RIL 2024. RIL 277-2024 Puukerrostalon elinkaarisuunnittelu: Tiedonhallinta ja kestävä kehitys [Lifecycle planning of a timber multistory: Information management and sustainable development]], it elaborates a framework that integrates Digital Product Passports (DPPs), Digital Building Logbooks (DBLs), and Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) to enable traceable, context-aware documentation. The framework is examined through four technical subcases from a representative three-story Finnish LTF building completed in 2016. Lifecycle changes in engineering guidance and product data are visualized through reverse-engineered and comparative structural calculations. The subcases are framed as decision nodes of asset data management, illustrating the influence of data gaps and variability on structural reliability and reuse potential. The study lays the groundwork for a structured and scalable application of the Value of Information (VoI) methodology to support efficient and robust data infrastructure. Its novelty lies in introducing ADRs as a cost-efficient enhancement to DPP systems and in extending VoI principles to the design of national-scale digital infrastructure.