TIIHONEN ISMO

Their core work

TIIHONEN ISMO is a Finnish private entity specializing in construction and demolition waste (CDW) management, circular building practices, and material recovery. Across all three H2020 projects, the organization contributes expertise in recycling valuable materials from building waste and developing greener prefabricated building components. Their work spans the full lifecycle — from pre-demolition auditing and smart material tracing to advanced sorting and reuse of recovered construction materials. The entity likely operates as a consultancy or sole proprietorship bringing hands-on industry knowledge to large European research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

TIIHONEN ISMO started with physically-oriented recycling and recovery work — HISER (2015) tackled raw material recovery from construction waste, and VEEP (2016) focused on turning recycled CDW into energy-efficient prefabricated concrete. By the most recent project ICEBERG (2020), the focus shifted decisively toward digitalization: BIM-based audits, RFID and QR tracing systems, and circular design methodologies. This trajectory shows a clear move from hands-on material recycling toward digitally-enabled circular construction.

Moving toward digitalized circular construction — expect future contributions in BIM-driven demolition planning, material passports, and smart waste tracing systems.

How they like to work

TIIHONEN ISMO consistently joins as a participant, never leading projects, which suggests a specialist contributor role bringing specific industry expertise to larger consortia. With 61 unique partners across just 3 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia (averaging ~20 partners per project). This pattern indicates they are sought after for their niche CDW and circular construction knowledge rather than driving project strategy.

Despite only three projects, TIIHONEN ISMO has collaborated with 61 distinct partners across 13 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia focused on circular construction and waste management.

What sets them apart

TIIHONEN ISMO bridges the gap between physical CDW recycling and the digital transformation of circular building practices — a combination that few single entities cover. Their progression from material recovery to BIM-based auditing and smart tracing systems means they understand both the hands-on realities of demolition waste and the digital tools needed to manage it at scale. For consortium builders, they offer practical Finnish construction industry perspective combined with growing digital competence in circular economy applications.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ICEBERG
  Most recent and largest-funded project (EUR 166,228), introducing digital tools like BIM audits and RFID/QR tracing to circular construction — marking a clear strategic evolution.
• VEEP
  Focused on turning recycled CDW into high-value energy-efficient prefabricated concrete components, directly linking waste recovery to green building products.