Building according to the cycle

Closed-loop construction is a basis for reducing CO₂-goals. An efficient approach to closing loops is the reuse of materials and entire components. Although this is already partly implemented in construction projects, a number of questions arise in the deconstruction and reuse of materials - for example with regard to standards and warranties.

The "Sprint" unit therefore focuses on finding solutions that are as universally applicable as possible and thus simplify the reuse of building materials. The project is a collaboration between various players from research, industry and the public sector. "For the first time, Empa is combining the approach of reuse and the market requirements of fast and flexible construction. With the new "Sprint" unit, we want to show that these needs can be met together," says Enrico Marchesi, Innovation Manager and project leader on the part of NEST.

The "Sprint" unit will be installed on the lowest platform of the NEST building and will deliver Covid-compliant office space. The "Sprint" unit is scheduled for completion in the summer.

Rethinking the planning phase as an opportunity

Already in the planning phase of the new unit, special attention was paid to the re-use process and its challenges. Among other things, the question arose at the beginning as to what added value reused material offers and whether it is cheaper than new material. Oliver Seidel, architect and partner at baubüro in situ ag knows: "Reusing materials is often associated with lower costs. But the added value lies in another area: Re-use is more sustainable. And in terms of quality, there is no loss. On the contrary: depending on the material, you can even talk about an increase in quality, for example with an old wooden parquet floor, which receives an additional aesthetic component."

The advantages of planning deconstruction and reusing materials are obvious: The fact that the detailed study must already be taken into account in the preliminary project - i.e. earlier than according to the standard planning phases - makes the construction process more dynamic and flexible in terms of time. For example, the project can be defined in parallel and at the same time used materials can be sought and tested for their suitability for use.

"Design for Disassembly" as a basis for Re-Use

The "Sprint" unit follows the "Design for Disassembly" approach. This means a design that already takes deconstruction into account and a construction method that facilitates future modifications and dismantling for the recovery of systems, components and materials, thus ensuring that buildings can be transferred to another cycle as efficiently as possible at the end of their service life. Not all building components and materials installed today can be easily deconstructed. Industrial buildings are more suitable for deconstruction than residential buildings, for example, because of their simple construction. "It is all the more important that we construct today's buildings in such a way that their components can be returned to cycles," emphasizes Kerstin Müller, architect, member of the executive board at baubüro in situ ag and managing director of Zirkular GmbH. She also sees re-use as an opportunity for value and supply chains: When components and materials are reused, local jobs can be created and ecological and architectural values preserved.

During the construction and subsequent use of "Sprint", the opportunities and challenges of the re-use process are continuously documented and compiled - with the aim of making re-use more marketable as a construction method.

Further information on the various innovation processes is published on an ongoing basis at the Sprint website made available.