STRATEGIC FIELDS OF ACTION
3.1.1 Strategic fields of action for reuse and material recovery »If the enormous consumption of resources in construction is to be reduced to a sustainable level, construction will have to undergo a paradigm shift. [...] it will also be necessary to conceptualise the loop potential of buildings by way of a design parameter.«
In the following sections, the paths of reuse and recycling are examined in detail one after the other and possible fields of action for the various actors involved in the construction process are identified. The ecological, economic and socio-cultural potentials are first of all listed together for both ways.
Anja Rosen (Manual of Recycling, Edition DETAIL 2019)46
Potentials of reuse and material recovery Environmental ▪ Reduction of “grey energy” ▪ Reduction of emissions to air, water and soil ▪ Reduction of resource consumption ▪ Reduction of land consumption (extraction and landfill areas) ▪ Avoidance of waste Economical ▪ Avoidance of increasing disposal/landfill costs
▪ Independence from future price fluctuations as a result of lower resource availability
▪ Growing market potential: Reuse is currently still a niche market in terms of construction practice, but the market segment is expected to grow as demand increases in the future. Currently, the supply of reusable components and building materials is generally based on component exchanges and similar initiatives, which can be the starting point for further market development. Continuous expansion would enable scaling and make reused components accessible to a wider mass. The market segment offers great potential for new business models and job creation. Socio-cultural
▪ Local added value: Increasing reuse and recycling has the potential to create local jobs and should be accompanied by training of professionals.
▪ New understanding of building culture: An increase in the appreciation of buildings and individual components can lead to an increasing identification of the user with the built environment. The new role of the architect includes an increased communication of the value of the built environment.
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REUSE
The reuse of building materials and components offers great potential in all three pillars of sustainability (see above). In practice, however, implementation usually fails because of the inner attitude of the actors involved in the construction process and the building users, since components that have already been used are often automatically associated with a lower quality. Other obstacles are the existing uncertainty and ignorance regarding the legal situation regarding the reuse of used components and building materials and the fact that existing processes are often not yet economical and therefore not yet scalable. In addition, there is an availability problem today: the corresponding materials or products are not always available in the required quantities with the same quality levels. The reuse of components on a small scale or in the private sector can usually be covered by component exchanges with regional warehouses. In the area of historical components and for the use of selected individual pieces, historical building material dealers are also available as contact partners. In both cases, reuse must be included in the planning process with sufficient time in advance in order to find suitable materials and prepare them appropriately for use in the project. Should the demand for reusable components grow, the current possibilities for meeting demand will not be sufficient. In order to promote reuse on a larger scale, the use of system components with standard formats is therefore beneficial, which considerably facilitate further use compared to individual single components. A further advantage of the renewed use of serially manufactured components is that under certain circumstances large quantities become available and that at best it is easier to check which ingredients are contained in the component.