Recyclable constructions and building products

Recyclable constructions and building products

Building structures should also be designed in such a way that they can be recycled to a high quality at the end of their life with as little effort as possible. The majority of product properties and impacts are already determined in the course of the product development process through appropriate design decisions. The design objective of recycling must therefore be integrated into the development process from the very beginning. (VDI 2243)

Recyclable constructions and building products
© Photo by Elvir K on Unsplash ​​

For manufacturers and users, there are various advantages to recycling-friendly construction design: the raw material is retained and can be reused by the manufacturer, through appropriate product design and material selection, the extraction of RC raw materials from the construction can be more cost-effective than the purchase of primary material, and the risk of high disposal costs is reduced.

Prerequisites for use:

  • Consideration of deconstruction in planning/construction.
  • Strict control during concrete implementation/construction

in the development of building products

  • Economic incentives to reward the development of deconstruction-friendly approaches, e.g. also due to change of ownership
  • Change of priorities, currently in other areas (functionality, design, etc.)
  • legal requirements and solutions to increase resource productivity
  • Adapted procurement guidelines

Best practices/applications/signals:

  • Brüninghoff: modular construction/wood construction method
  • herotec GmbH panel heating and DEUTSCHE ROCKWOOL GmbH & Co. KG; tacked insulation for underfloor heating
  • Rewindo: Recycling initiative for plastic windows, shutters, doors
  • AUF e.V: Association for the organisation of a closed recycling loop for aluminium in the areas of windows, doors and façades

Regional experts:

  • Anja Rosen (construction), energum GmbH
  • Heiner Farwick
  • Matthias Schiewerling (construction) and Franziska Struck (evaluation) FB Bau, FH Ms; Profiles