Reusing precast concrete for a circular economy

Authors: Jyrki Tarpio & Tapio Kaasalainen, Tampere University  A Circular Economy Course is held for fourth– and fifth–year architecture students at Tampere University each year. In 2025, the students’ assignment was to study how to reuse load-bearing structural precast concrete elements deconstructed from an office building in new-build multifamily housing. The Finnish deconstruction pilot building of the ReCreate project, the load-bearing structural elements of which were dismantled in 2023, acted as a reference donor building in the course.  Figure 1. Load-bearing elements of the Finnish donor building. Axonometric images and floor plan […]

Author: Jakob Fischer, Brandenburg University of Technology The tender for structural engineering services for the new youth center building is an essential part of the procurement process. Following the award of the building design contract (see also episode 1 and episode 2 of this blog series), applicants were able to bid for the structural engineering […]

For Dutch-speaking audience As part of the ongoing discussion on circular construction and the reuse of concrete, the ReCreate project highlights two podcast episodes from the Dutch series In groen beton gegoten. These episodes bring together architects, engineers, researchers and industry experts to reflect on how adaptive design, reuse, and chain collaboration can help extend the life of concrete structures and reduce the […]

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 […]