Authors
Huuhka, Satu
Abstract
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a new Horizon 2020 research project ‘ReCreate’: Reusing precast concrete for a circular economy. Concrete is the most used construction material globally. It is also a highly carbon-intensive material and dominates construction and demolition waste in the EU and beyond. The ReCreate project is premised on the idea that concrete structures that the humanity has already produced make up significant deposits for salvageable concrete components. The main objective for ReCreate is to close the loop for concrete at the highest level of utilization by facilitating the deconstruction and reuse of precast structural concrete components that have not been originally designed for deconstruction. Started in April 2021, the project will study not only the technical challenges of deconstruction and reuse but also the implications in terms of value chains, business models and work practices. What is more, ReCreate aims to quantify the potential benefits of concrete reuse in terms of avoided carbon emissions and virgin material extraction, and to establish a knowledge base on precast concrete systems across Europe that facilitates technology transfer between contexts. The core of the project is formed by real-life pilots in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, where deconstruction and reassembly is developed and experimented with in practice. The pilots are construed around Country Clusters consisting of local industry and public sector partners. The Country Clusters are led by Tampere University (Finland), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands), and Brandenburg University of Technology (Germany). ReCreate is coordinated by Tampere University and its communications are led by Croatia Green Building Council. The ReCreate project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 958200.