Building with reused concrete

Circrete aims to build the towns of tomorrow with yesterday’s concrete. At present, large amounts of concrete from demolished buildings are crushed or end as landfill, even though the strength and quality of many concrete elements is still adequate for direct reuse. There is a need for a simple and reliable method of documenting the quality and strength of existing concrete elements before buildings are demolished.

Circrete is developing a quality assurance system that will make it possible to test and document concrete elements directly in position before demolition. Using digital instruments, Circrete registers important details from the building archive, e.g. strength, size and condition, verifying the properties on site, and generating digital passports that document ways in which the concrete can be responsibly reused in new buildings. Material passports documenting the quality of the material will mean that builders, architects and developers can confidently reuse the concrete in new buildings.

By allowing direct reuse of concrete elements, Circrete helps to reduce CO₂ emissions, limit volumes of building waste and reduce the consumption of new raw materials. In this way the project underpins the transition to a more sustainable building industry, with existing materials regarded as valuable resources instead of waste.