Enhancing Reuse Practices in Construction
The purpose of this research a project is to develop and validate a process with feasible methods and solutions to systematize the reuse of building materials and products. The goal is to enable the practical application of reuse within the construction sector, both at the project and company levels, thereby reducing the industry's negative impact on the climate and the environment.
The Development Fund of the Swedish Construction Industry (SBUF) finance the project "Increase Reuse in Construction: A Process-Oriented Approach for the Construction Contractor," which takes place in collaboration with In3prenör AB and IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
Reusing has demonstrated significant potential to effectively reduce both climate and environmental impacts within the construction sector. While the reuse of specific construction components within individual projects is not a novel concept, the 2022 follow-up report on the roadmap for fossil-free competitiveness indicates an increasing trend in construction reuse. However, there is currently a lack of process-level understanding across the entire construction process that identifies the obstacles, problems, and opportunities that must be addressed to implement systematic reuse. This gap particularly hinders small and medium-sized construction companies from effectively integrating and applying systematic reuse in their projects. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity and support for the reuse of building materials and products originating outside individual building project.
The scope of the project is to:
- List and evaluate current practices for reuse in the construction process from project development through product development, implementation, to handover.
- Map and analyse obstacles, problems, prerequisites, and opportunities for systematic reuse in construction projects.
- Propose a generic process along with methods and solutions to enable effective implementation and use of systematic reuse in construction projects.
- Describe how the process, methods, and solutions should be used for construction companies to successfully systematize recycling.
- Develop a guide that compiles the process, methods, and solutions for systematic reuse.
Contact
Lars Stehn
- Professor and Head of Subject
- 0920-491976
- lars.stehn@ltu.se
- Lars Stehn
Jarkko Erikshammar
- Senior Lecturer
- 0920-491860
- jarkko.erikshammar@ltu.se
- Jarkko Erikshammar
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