Dutch cluster - Recreate

December 6, 2024

The Dutch Concrete Event 2024 brought together leading professionals, agencies, and institutions from the concrete industry to share insights, discuss challenges, and explore innovative solutions. This annual gathering offers an invaluable platform to stay updated on repair, reinforcement, sustainable materials, climate impact, and regulatory advancements.

This year, TNO contributed to the event by presenting the latest developments from the ReCreate project. Marcel Vullings delivered an engaging presentation focusing on the practical application of reused precast concrete elements in new building structures. His talk was particularly relevant for designers and structural engineers, addressing key challenges in reusing structural components and discussing strategies to overcome them.

The session sparked a lively discussion about the need for protocols, regulations, and incentives to encourage reuse. Key questions were raised:

Could environmental taxes accelerate the adoption of reused materials?
Would subsidies provide a more effective boost to integrating reused elements into mainstream construction?

Despite these challenges, one clear takeaway emerged: reuse is no longer an exception. Increasingly, new projects incorporate reused precast elements, signaling a shift towards making this practice standard in the construction industry. Marcel emphasized how initiatives like ReCreate, combined with ongoing research by TNO, are instrumental in addressing remaining hurdles and driving innovation.

Events like the Dutch Concrete Event play a pivotal role in advancing this movement, bringing together diverse stakeholders to share knowledge and foster collaboration. They also serve to inform the market about cutting-edge developments, paving the way for a future where reuse becomes a core principle in construction practices.

by ReCreate project

August 2, 2024

Lagemaat at TU/e (in collaboration with the Dutch cluster)

As part of the international @ReCreate project, we are working closely with various partners, including the Dutch cluster. This month, the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) will conduct further research at our site to test concrete elements from the Prinsenhof pilot project. This research helps us understand the impact of weather conditions on the stored elements in Heerde. The materials from the Prinsenhof project will thus find a new purpose at the Circular Center in Heerde.

An important aspect of our collaboration with TU/e is testing various concrete elements for their reusability, enabling their circular application. In a recent vlog, Marcel Vullings (TNO) and Fred Mudge (TU/e student) share their findings from these tests. They investigate how concrete parts can be dismantled and what new applications are possible in future projects.

These tests are crucial for the progress towards a circular construction sector. By reusing concrete elements, we save on new raw materials and reduce tons of CO2 emissions. The collected data forms the basis for future projects.

Examples of projects that strongly focus on material reuse include the Zuiderstrandtheater in Scheveningen and the Ruijgoordweg 80 project in Amsterdam. Through this approach, we continue to innovate and contribute to a sustainable construction industry.

by ReCreate project

June 28, 2024

Marcel Vullings – TNO

CROW is a Dutch organisation that gather and uncloses knowledge which is relevant for civil works and buildings. CROW officially launched the CROW-CUR Guideline 4:2023 “Reuse of structural precast concrete elements” on Tuesday (11-06-2024). This guideline provides a practical description of a working method that can be used in projects involving the reuse of structural precast concrete elements. It covers various aspects, such as preparations for deconstruction, the disconnection of elements, the temporary storage of elements, the assessment of rewon elements and the reuse of these elements in new structures. The guideline has a general section that covers topics that apply to reuse of all types of precast concrete elements. In addition, it has annexes in which specific products are highlighted . Currently, there are two annexes: annex A deals with reuse of hollow-core slabs and annex B covers precast prestressed bridge girders. More types of elements are going to be added to the guideline in the near future. The guideline is for both infrastructure and buildings, in the broadest sense of the word. Many aspects are the same for both, and the non-standard aspects are dealt with in the separate annexes.

TU/e, TNO and other experts, including contractors, engineering firms, clients and testing companies, contributed their knowledge, experiences and insights to shape the guideline. In this respect, the knowledge and experiences from the pilot projects of the Horizon 2020 project ReCreate were very valuable. The wide-ranging scope of ReCreate has helped shape all the guideline’s sub-sections.

CROW launched the Guideline on site at IJmuiden. Heidelberg Materials hosted the event and after presenting a quick overview of the guideline for a mixed audience, we all got a chance to check out the temporary storage (near Heidelberg Materials) for the harvested precast concrete bridge girders. Here, the girders are waiting to be used in new bridges at various locations in the Netherlands.

Hergebruik constructieve prefab betonelementen – CROW

by ReCreate project

May 10, 2024

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the pioneering work of Patrick Teuffel, founder of CIRCULAR STRUCTURAL DESIGN, as he leads the charge in revolutionizing structural design for a circular economy. With a focus on sustainability and decarbonization, Teuffel discusses his role in the ReCreate project, shedding light on innovative approaches to integrating reclaimed precast concrete elements into new constructions. From reimagining design processes to the challenges and benefits of incorporating AI, Teuffel provides invaluable insights into shaping a more environmentally responsible future in construction.

1. Can you please introduce yourself a bit, your organization and your role in the project?

As founder of CIRCULAR STRUCTURAL DESIGN, I am strongly focused on advancing the principles of the circular economy and decarbonization within the built environment in the context of structural design. With my background as a structural engineer, I bring a strong combination of technical expertise and sustainability principles to my work. As an academic as well as professional, I am committed to revolutionizing traditional construction practices by integrating circularity and sustainability into every aspect of the design process.

In addition to my entrepreneurial pursuits, I also act as a professor specializing in Innovation and Sustainability Strategies at SRH Berlin School of Technology. In this role, I have the opportunity to impart my knowledge and passion for creating more environmentally responsible solutions to future generations of professionals. My advisory role at the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) Innovation Board and the circular construction team at Circular Berlin further underscores my dedication to driving meaningful change within the industry.

At CIRCULAR STRUCTURAL DESIGN, our mission is to seamlessly integrate the principles of circular economy and sustainable design into every structural project we undertake. Our approach is guided by three core principles:

1.) Minimizing waste and emissions: We prioritize minimizing resource consumption and emissions associated with our structures, ensuring that our designs have minimal environmental impact.

2.) Keeping products and materials in use: Our commitment to extending the lifecycle of materials, components and buildings drives us to promote high-level reuse and repurposing wherever feasible, thus reducing resource consumption and waste generation.

3.) Using renewable resources: In response to the ongoing depletion of finite resources, we actively explore and incorporate renewable material options whenever possible.

It is our mission to bridge the gap between research and practice and to integrate the principles of circular economy into everyday structural design projects.

Within the ReCreate project I am the lead of the WP5 that explores aspects of redesign and reassembly. I, as a structural engineer, focus on the implications for the design process and the actual technical and practical implementation in the context of the reuse of existing components.

2. Can you provide more information on your work package and how it contributes toward the project?

WP5 consists of two parts: redesign and reassembly. We explore design implications of the stock-based design and develop new connection types or put existing connections to the test to reconnect existing precast concrete elements.

Traditionally the design process follows a linear model. The building design is developed first and the required structural elements, that are needed to accomplish this design, will be manufactured from scratch according to the dimensions required for the project.
The whole work process needs to be rethought when it comes to reusing elements. When maximizing the integration of reused elements in a stock-based design approach, the traditional design approach of form-follows-function will be replaced by a new principle: form-follows-availability.

To enable the load-bearing reuse of existing components, connection details are required with which these can be reconnected. This is why the documentation of connection details that already exist and allow for an easy reuse and developing new connection details that will also allow for an easier future disassembly are the second focus point in WP5.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the ReCreate project is, that these approaches are not only theoretically explored, but will be implemented in real live pilot projects. Hence a large part of WP5 is designing those pilots and sharing the lessons learned throughout the process.

3. Tell us more about task 5.1 on the framework of parameters for the development of the redesign and reassembly process for precast concrete elements in new buildings?

As stated, the design process is completely different from the status quo, when it comes to the integration of reclaimed elements. Here, the first step is to capture relevant information about the reclaimed precast concrete elements in order to know where and how those may be reused. So, the first thing you need to know is what those elements are. In task 5.1 we explore, what parameters and object properties need to be gathered and at what design stage different information needs to be available to enable architectural and structural design. Here, we are looking at typological and dimensional information and the structural capacity of the different elements.
This task closely interacts with other working packages, such as WP1: the analysis of precast concrete systems, WP2: the deconstruction as we are strongly interested in the shape and capability of each element after deconstruction, WP3: the logistics and processing and WP4: the quality management.

The knowledge gained through this process will be captured in a design guideline (deliverable 5.1) at the end of the project.

4. How does Task 5.3 highlight the challenges and complexities faced in the architectural and structural design process when reusing precast concrete elements?

Task 5.3’s focus is the understanding and developing of a design approach and actively implementing it in the design process in the pilot projects. The traditional approach of an architect developing a space concept first and an engineer designing the structural elements afterword to erect this space does not work when the pool of existing elements limits what they might be used for. Means: the design process needs to run “in reverse”. To understand the capability of the existing elements and what uses they can be put to, requires a close interaction of architects and engineers from the very beginning of the project.
Each country cluster approaches this separately and faces different architectural and structural challenges. Those experiences are discussed within the ReCreate project team and the experiences will be summarized in the form of a best-practice recommendation that incorporates the lessons learned from the project.

5. How does Task 5.3 propose to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and neural networks into the design process? What benefits are expected from using AI in this context?

When it comes to designing with reclaimed elements, different design approaches can be explored and different country clusters follow different approaches of how to start with a stock of reclaimed, prefabricated concrete elements and get to the finished product: a building partially designed from those elements.
That insights gained and lessons learned will be gathered in a design manual that will be published as D5.1 at the end of the project.

Generally, the most straight-forward approach to designing with precast concrete elements is trial- and-error.

The larger the implicit knowledge about the reclaimed elements and reuse options are, the better the outcome will be.

Another possibility is a design optimisation aided by parametric design tools. Within the project research is undertaken how the design process can be aided by existing and newly developed design tools that allow for an optimisation.

Also, an AI-aided element matching between a pool of existing elements and a proposed new design will be explored. Especially when the list of reclaimed elements is very large, human trial-and-error can reach its limits. The AI-aided approach tries to do a first step by exploring a matching algorithm that highlights optimisation potential and best matches.

6. Can you tell us more on the processes and challenges that you are facing with the connections in task 5.2 and how do they influence the rest of your work? What are some of the risks that are present here? In the context of design for disassembly (DfD), how does Task 5.2 investigate the possibility of easier deconstructability in the new connections?

The feasibility and ease of new structural connections construction for reclaimed element has a large impact of the likelihood integration of reuse structural elements. In WP5 options to reconnect those structural elements will be explored. Particular attention is paid here to when the same connection points can be reused (with minor adjustments) during reinstallation. The connections that are to be used in the construction of the pilot projects are described. New connection types are also being developed in the project, those put a great emphasis on the possibility for a simple future deconstruction.
The general approach in the recreate project is, that both, new connection details that allow for an easier future disassembly are being developed in project funded university research studies. At the same time in the real life pilot projects conventional connection details that already exist, might also be used.

7. What is the relationship between the re-use of precast concrete elements and sustainability certificates, such as DGNB as discussed in Task 5.3?

When it comes to evaluating the sustainability of the reuse of precast concrete elements from an ecological viewpoint, two aspects can be highlighted. The reuse may help to save both finite resources and avoid new production emissions.
The topic of resource conservation in the context of a circular economy has recently come increasingly into focus, and green building certificates are trying to account for it. One example is here the the DGNB, where I am a member of the committee for lifecycle and circular design, the “DGNB Ausschuss für Lebenszyklus und zirkuläres Bauen“.

Important aspects such as reuse and deconstructability, which are addressed within WP5, are discussed here.

Additionally, a buildings carbon footprint is of course an important aspect to consider when it comes to evaluate the overall sustainability. Within WP5 internal meetings, the use of “LCA-as-a-Design-Tool” is repeatedly addressed. The goal is to actively identify and prioritize the lowest-emission design variant through regular design-integrated LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). Here we also closely collaborate with WP6.

8. How does Task 5.4 ensure a smooth implementation of the four real-life pilot projects, considering factors like transportation, supplementary materials, and equipment?

Let’s have another interview next year, then we can answer this question 😊

9. Who is Patrick Teuffel when he’s not working on the project and what does he like to do in his free time?

As for my personal preferences, I thoroughly enjoy engaging in sports like running and mountain biking, finding exhilaration in the great outdoors. Additionally, I have a passion for savoring good food, particularly exploring diverse culinary experiences. Living in the vibrant city of Berlin, I find immense pleasure in attending concerts and immersing myself in its dynamic cultural scene. Furthermore, I have a strong interest for exploration, fueled by my love for traveling and exploring the world, seeking out new adventures and experiences wherever I go. Last, but not least, I’m doing the final editing of this text in a spa – now you know where you can find me on a Sunday afternoon.

by ReCreate project

September 14, 2023

Using object-oriented programming to bridge the gap between architecture and structural engineering in a circular design.

Fred Mudge, Eindhoven University of Technology – 14 September 2023

Over the past several decades, the construction industry has been responsible for large portions of annual global CO₂ emissions and overall material usage. To counteract this, the ReCreate project aims to establish a circular value chain for precast concrete buildings – a switch which could offer massive improvements to the industry’s sustainability by keeping materials in use for longer, thereby preserving the value contained in the existing building stock and reducing the need for new materials. This requires research and development across the entire reuse process, from deconstruction, transport and logistics, quality control, design and planning of new buildings up to reassembly in a new location and for a new purpose.

As a doctoral researcher at TU Eindhoven, my work focuses on the topic of design within the above context and aims to assist architects and engineers to design circular buildings, by developing a software application which provides functionality specifically for this task.

In a traditional building design workflow, the architect normally produces a design based on relatively few constraints. A structural engineer reviews the design and presents reinforcements to ensure that the structure is sufficiently robust and stable. After all designs have been finalized, construction can commence and (for precast systems) elements are manufactured that match the designs. The design process for reused elements is fundamentally different because the geometric and structural attributes of the elements are already fixed at the start of the design process. The challenge for a designer is therefore to select and arrange elements into a spatially effective building structure considering their respective geometries. Each addition or change to this arrangement affects the distribution of forces through the structure. The forces exerted on each element should therefore be calculated continuously and compared to its relevant structural capacities (axial force, bending moment etc.) to ensure no element is loaded past a safe limit.

The design application addresses both challenges mentioned above. It includes a feature for browsing through a library (database) of previously used building components that are available for reuse. A user can then select and import desired elements directly into a 3D building information modelling (BIM) environment and place them in a new design assembly. Furthermore, automatic structural load calculation methods using finite element methods (FEM) are built into the application and can be performed on-demand, to identify any elements exerted past their capacities. Lastly, environmental benefit is quantified and enhanced by automatic embodied carbon calculation, considering factors such as the distance of an element from the construction site and the amount of CO₂ required to get it into its new position.

Considering the novelty of reusing concrete building components, the first step to developing the application was to create a so-called “object model” for creating and storing digital representations of physical building elements. This requires a sound understanding of the parameters that describe all relevant aspects (geometric, structural etc.) of the various types of elements (beams, columns, wall panels, slabs etc.). These parameters, element types and how they interact and relate to each other also help define the database schema for storing element information (i.e., the element library). A trial database was created and populated with element data from a recently completed deconstruction project – Prinsenhof A in Arnhem, the Netherlands.

A user can browse through a library of elements, import and position them in a Revit model to make up a new building design.

Subsequently, the focus shifted to developing algorithms for automatically connecting elements within the model, based on their relative locations, and for calculating structural forces and moments within all elements, based on expected floor loadings and the anticipated “load paths” that eventually take all forces down to the building’s foundations. Lastly, a framework for calculating the environmental impact resulting from using new and reused precast concrete building components will be developed and added to the application, to ensure that an environmental benefit is achieved for each reuse design, compared to a design consisting of newly manufactured elements.

Currently, the design application is developed as an add-on for Autodesk Revit. New building designs are therefore in the form of a Revit (.rvt) model, which can be easily converted to a more universal format such as Industry Foundation Class (.ifc). The design application is currently still under development, with a “proof of concept” prototype planned for the end of 2023.

by ReCreate project

April 20, 2023

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The success of the ReCreate project would not be possible without the expertise of the people that stand behind it. Our third interviewee is Simon Wijte – Work Package 2 leader and the Dutch country cluster leader. Ivan Fratrić of the Croatia Green Building Council will be conducting the interview. Here is his story:

Hello Simon and thank you for doing this interview! Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background and role in your institution and the project?

Of course. I’m a full professor on the chair of sustainment of concrete structures at the Eindhoven University of Technology. My work is split between the University and a consultancy office where I already work for over 30 years. In both positions, my work is tied to concrete structures. I also take part in Eurocode meetings. In my consultancy office, I assess a lot of existing structures and damage to structures from which we can learn a lot. For instance, in 2017. a parking garage which was under construction near the Eindhoven airport partly collapsed and I performed forensic research to determine the cause of that collapse. I’m at the chair of sustainment of concrete structures since 2014. and my approach to this chair is more from a structural engineering than a material point of view, taking into account the application and maintenance of concrete structures in buildings. The material aspect is less relevant compared to a situation when you’re dealing with existing concrete structures in outside environments which are much more aggressive. When it comes to concrete structures, my belief is that concrete structures can be used again and again. The building of our faculty is now over 70 years old. A little over 20 years ago, it was renovated, a new façade, new plans and installations, but the concrete structure was maintained. Now already people are thinking of a new renovation which indeed can be done, but the concrete structures should be maintained again. You can do that over and over and in a way that can be challenging. That’s part of my chair. What you’re facing then is all kinds of problems because, obviously, you have to ensure structural reliability. I don’t know how it’s in Croatia and other countries in the consortium, but in the Netherlands, we’re not careful with the drawings of our existing structures. When you want to reuse an existing concrete structure and you have to assess the structural reliability, you would want to know what kind of rebar is in it, and if you do not know that, you try to investigate in order to find out. Those are the things I’m interested in my research and I receive more and more info about this through my work on the ReCreate project.

In your view, what are the professional benefits of working on the ReCreate project?

For starters, I have to mention Prof. Rijk Blok who sadly passed away and who got our university involved in the ReCreate project. He was an assistant professor in our unit on the chair of innovative structural design and since the topic of the project is closely tied to my chair, I got involved. Rijk managed the project, go us involved and made it successful, but after his untimely passing, there was a question on how should we continue with the project. At that point, it was already known that Patric Teufel would leave the university so I was basically the only one remaining. I took the task of being the Dutch country cluster leader and the task WP2 leader and it’s definitely a challenge. It fits the topic of my chair quite well, but the circumstances why it happened are very unfortunate.

That’s actually what I wanted to ask you because the Dutch country cluster experienced a lot of changes, from Rijk’s unfortunate passing and Patrick’s transfer – how did you manage to handle all of that?

There were actually more events than the ones you’ve mentioned that complicated things. When we entered the project, we thought we could have a pilot project of reusing concrete elements on our university’s campus. In the 50’s at the start of the university, there were four larger buildings and a temporary building built in the 50s. Those four buildings got renovated but the temporary building is still there. In that temporary building, there were some precast concrete beams and it was Rijk’s plan to reuse those beams in a fire station that would be constructed on our campus. That plan did not succeed so we had to look for another pilot project. With the help from our partners in IMd, we managed to get in contact with Lagemaat who are performing a challenging and huge pilot project which means that they are already commercially involved in something that is the topic of our project. All in all, personal changes to the project were followed with pilot changes which was challenging at the time.

It really mustn’t have been easy, to say the least. Now that you’ve mentioned the pilot, can you give more insight into the building itself and your role within WP2?

To be honest, if I had a choice, then work package 2 is something that I would not pick in the first place (laughs). It’s also not so much in my field of expertise, but we’re doing our utmost best for the sake of the project. What we noticed after Rijk passed away is that we’re lacking in staff and in knowledge as well. The Netherlands is not that big and we know each other quite well in the Dutch country cluster, so I looked around and found that a person I know whom was an expert in precast concrete elements, but just as I wanted to contact him, he started working with TNO just weeks ago. They obviously didn’t want to let him go, but since they are a knowledge institute, they were keen to participate in the ReCreate project. I’m of the opinion that adding them was a great move as they have great knowledge in terms of structural reliability, LCA, BIM models, and so on. Their participation in the country cluster opened up the opportunity to use their knowledge. Together, we managed to produce the deliverable for WP2, especially with their knowledge of BIM, which can be very helpful with everything we do in ReCreate. In principle, the basis of the project consists of two things, the first of which is the actual precast concrete element. But, additionally, to that, you want to have a lot of information about that element and those have to be connected to the element and have to remain that way so when that element is stored somewhere on the yard, you have to know all the relevant information about it. That is obviously in the domain of Work Package 3, but in Work package 2, before the deconstruction of the building, you have to know what kind of information is available on that particular element and for that, the BIM models are very useful because you can add a lot of information to those models and the challenging thing is that you can make a 3D model of the building that will undergo deconstruction with all the elements in it and then you can deconstruct it digitally, which means you can take them out and put them out into a database. We have to gain experience in that and connect with people with such knowledge as the BIM model and the database that contains all the BIM models of all the elements will be very important through the complete process. It will be important for both architectural and structural designers, as well as for LCA calculations.

That’s actually something that I wanted to ask you as I’ve asked Erik (Stenberg) the same thing. We know what kind of construction the ReCreate project proposes with regards to precast concrete elements and the benefits such as the reduction of carbon emissions and material extraction. That is good all by itself, but I asked Erik whether there are some drawbacks and constraints from an architectural perspective and he said that obviously you can’t do everything with precast concrete elements, so I want to see your perspective as a structural engineer and whether you see any constraints that such construction can have?

Let me touch upon the architectural constraints first. Normally, when an architect starts to design a building, he starts from scratch and its up to him whether the floor span will for instance be 7 or 8 meters. He’s free to choose it. It is completely different when you already have a complete structure after the older façade and separation walls have been deconstructed. When you go from an architectural point while having in mind the usage of precast elements, it’s kind of similar but you’re a little bit more flexible. Let’s assume you have a huge database of all kinds of precast elements that are available for reuse in new structures. Then an architect pays you a visit and says ”I want to make a building with, for example, 200 m2 of the ground floor and 200 m2 of the first floor and I want to see how I can create that using available elements”. That’s where the application that we are working on in WP5 is important as it will tell you the availability of elements in the database. In that sense, the architect has a degree of freedom but could be constrained by the availability of certain elements, as well as their location. In that application all kind of aspects can be considered. For instance, carbon reduction by reusing these elements is good, but if an element you need is in Rome and you have to construct a building in Amsterdam, then the reduction of carbon is gone. From an architectural point of view, when you want to reuse a structure in its place, the constraints are the largest. When you want to create a structure using rewon precast elements, you’re more flexible, but obviously, there are limitations, but those limitations can also be in your head.

And from a structural point of view?

We have to make a distinction between two parts. First on the element level. In the general situation, the elements which are available should be able to withstand the forces that will be applied to them in new structures. So that may not be so challenging until I’m not aware of the reinforcement which is there and I’m not aware of the function of the structure. The second thing is stability – there have to be some shear walls in the structure somewhere to keep it standing up. One of the last challenges is how do we connect the elements. What we see now through the ReCreate project is that disconnecting in majority of the cases is done by sawing structural parts apart and one of my remarks towards that we can do that also in ‘in situ’ structures and not limit ourselves to precast concrete. When demolishing in situ structures, you can also choose to saw off certain elements and try to use them again. ReCreate, as a project, is just the beginning of reuse and is also a small step towards the reuse of steel beams as well…

Now that you mention the reuse of steel beams, do you think that should be also focused on eventually? Do they go hand in hand with concrete elements?

When making the idea for the project, we limited ourselves purposely to precast concrete because if you expand the scope of research, it only gets bigger and bigger and more complicated and greatly expands in scope. But you’ve identified that correctly as the research can definitely be expanded to other things such as steel structures eventually as well. Research on that part is still ongoing. Research is also being conducted in the Netherlands on the reuse of precast concrete bridge girders.

That’s a topic for another project, maybe after ReCreate…

What you see is that a lot of things are ongoing and the tasks of structural engineers and architects is changing. I was educated only to design new structures.

It’s almost completely new science when it comes to ReCreate.

What we now have to do and what we have to educate our students is that in creating new structures, they should also keep in mind that reused elements can again be used or try to design new buildings within older structures.

Now that you mention the students…Simon, do you think that the knowledge that comes from the ReCreate project and the whole practice of reusing construction elements will be adopted and implemented into university curriculums?

It will and already is. I have some lectures on sustainment of concrete structures which is limited but what you see is that, when you look at master research projects done by students before their graduation, is that they are keen on carbon footprint of concrete structures and how that can be reduced. Because of that, we have a lot of students performing their master research projects within our ReCreate project. There’s one student at TNO looking at structural reliability when using reused elements, we have some students working on diaphragm action between hollow core slabs with particular connections so that they can be reused, and we have student looking after the reliability of non-destructive measurements after the presence of rebar, and lastly we also have a student working on how can we create new connections…

So there’s definitely a demand and interest for this topic?

Sure, students are very much aware of the problems we are facing with our environment and take this into account when choosing what they will master in.

Now that you’ve mentioned this, I’d like to return back to you. You’ve said that the students are highly motivated for topics that pertain to climate mitigation and reducing CO2 emissions. What I want to ask you specifically is whether you are a climate optimist or pessimist in terms of our goals for 2050.?

I don’t know whether I’m an optimist or a pessimist. I’m very much aware that things need to change. I try to be mindful of my personal behavior and preferences with regard to my own carbon footprint, but then again I will take a plane when I go for my holidays in the south of Europe. I still drive a car and will strive to buy an electric or a hydrogen one.

You’ve mentioned before that the ReCreate project circumstantially ended up in your hands. Now that you’ve spent some time with it, can you tell if you have any internal motivation or drive that underpins your work on the project?

Absolutely. The motivation for the reuse of concrete was already there from within my chair. I also must admit that the time I could spend on this topic was limited at the time, but ReCreate enabled me to expand the research. The topic in itself motivates me a lot as we need to work on the carbon footprint of concrete structures. The production of cement is responsible for over 8% of CO2 emissions created by people and that’s quite a lot. On the other hand, when you look at the Pantheon in Rome, the building, with a concrete structure stand there for more than 1900 years. Why do we have to demolish the concrete structures we make after just 50 years and create new concrete? We have to face the challenge that we have to reuse the structures that we already built. Reuse of whole structures is almost ideal, but the second best is definitely to dismantle it into reusable pieces rather than demolish it into coarse aggregate because then you have to use new binder and cement, at the cost of additional carbon emissions.

In your view, what is the ultimate goal of the project?

If the reuse of concrete elements in new buildings becomes regular within 10 years from now, then we’ve done a good job. We participate in it, produce new knowledge, and try it in pilot projects…if we are able to change the construction industry in this regard – that should be the goal. This goal will not come overnight even if people are initially for it, if we reach that goal, we’ve succeeded.

So a wider market uptake and a greater number of experts in these fields would be seen as successes of the project?

And also to improve processes for precast structures to make their deconstruction easier. On the other hand, I now have a student looking at a more sustainable design of precast structures of apartment buildings. If you make them easier to disconnect them, it requires less effort for reuse.

How do you manage and what are your thoughts on the collaboration within your country cluster and with other organizations in the consortium?

The cooperation within the Dutch country cluster is good and is getting better with time. I very much appreciate the collaboration with all the other country clusters because everyone is working from their own area of expertise and together we are able to gain all kinds of knowledge on the matter. It’s not just about structural reliability and structural design. It’s about LCA, material research, the digital design process, and so on. I appreciate very much how Satu (Huuhka) and Soili (Pakarinen) are managing this project.

We’re at the end of our interview and I’d like to end it with a personal question. Who is Simon Wijte when he’s not a professor and when he’s not working on the ReCreate project?

I like to do a lot of things. I like sports – both watching and performing. Although I’m becoming an old man, I’m 60 (laughs). I used to play field hockey, but my body doesn’t want it anymore. Now I’ve switched to cycling. I like a good dinner, a good glass of wine and being with my family and friends.

Dutch cluster - Recreate

Beton Event 2024: Spotlight on ReCreate and Reused Precast Concrete

Testing concrete elements: a step towards circular construction

The launch of the Dutch CROW-CUR Guideline 4 “Reuse of structural precast concrete elements”

Breaking Ground with Patrick Teuffel: Redefining Structural Design for a Circular Future

BIM software for designing with reused concrete building components

Meet our ReCreate WP2 and Dutch country cluster leader Simon Wijte!

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