Reusing precast concrete for a circular economy

International ReCreate project aims to discover how used concrete elements can be deconstructed without damaging them to be reused in new buildings – and turn the process into a profitable business. The four-year project has received €12.5 million of funding under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme.





Activities


November 27, 2025

Kjartan Gudmundsson, KTH In the ReCreate project, we are working towards circular construction with a focus on the deconstruction and reuse of precast concrete elements. This is a striving for more sustainable practices with reduced carbon emissions and energy use while minimizing waste and preserving value. One challenge is to determine the condition and properties […]

November 26, 2025

In this interview, we are speaking to Jukka Lahdensivu from Tampere University, whose work lies in WP4 in the ReCreate project. WP4 is focusing on new safety standards for reusing precast concrete components to promote sustainable construction practices. It captures the technical challenges and the practical goals of balancing safety, regulatory standards, and sustainability in […]

November 25, 2025

Inari Weijo, Competence Lead, Transformation, Ramboll Finland Oy; Antti Lantta, Production Manager, Umacon Oy; Juha Rämö, Technology director, Consolis Parma In the ReCreate project’s Finnish cluster, the first steps towards commercial projects have been taken. The research project has thus achieved the goal set for it to make the reuse of precast concrete elements possible […]



Events


January 31, 2025

16-18 September 2025 Tampere Hall congress centre Tampere, Finland (street address Yliopistonkatu 55) About the conference The 2nd International Conference on Circularity in the Built Environment (CiBEn) brings together pioneering researchers from all over Europe and beyond to share knowledge on the state-of-the-art on circular construction. Organised in collaboration between Tampere University (Finland), TU Delft […]


About us

ReCreate

The aim of this project is to improve the technical and economic viability of deconstruction and reuse of precast concrete structures that have not been designed for deconstruction. ReCreate pushes towards circular construction by investigating the systemic changes needed in the whole ecosystems of construction and demolition.

More about us



Most used construction material

Concrete is the most used construction material globally and in the EU. It is also a highly carbon-intensive material.

Bridge the knowledge gaps

Hindering the deconstruction and reuse from reaching maturity as a socio-technological process by learning from innovative pilots.

Importance of ReCreate

The concept of ReCreate is to work with industry partners and buildings owners in four pilots (located in DE, FI, SE, NL)



About Project

Project goals


ReCreate aims to bridge the knowledge gaps hindering the approach from reaching maturity as a socio-technical process by using the innovative pilots to explore, develop and demonstrate various national value chains, business models, legislation obstacles (e.g. building vs. waste legislation), as well as diverse building stocks with different kind of representative construction technologies, building types and sizes, and ownership structures.






Innovate and develop novel technological solutions for deconstruction and reuse



SUBSCRIBE TO

Our newsletter





EU FUNDING

“This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 958200”.

Follow us: