Ramboll Finland - Recreate

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 on market terms. The partnerships formed in the ReCreate project enabled the first commercial reuse of hollow-core slabs in Finland in the spring of 2025.

The first significant factor has been the creation of a reliable and appropriate quality assurance process for the industry. The process developed in the ReCreate project and piloted in practice has removed concern from the industry about whether the reuse of concrete elements is even possible. After that, the doubt has focused more on the economic conditions.

Another significant factor was the publication of the first mini-pilot of the research project in Härmälänranta, Tampere, where 24 hollow-core slabs were reused in the intermediate floor of a residential building. The project was successfully reported, and the message was important to the contractors, as the construction crew felt that the installation was ‘similar to that of new elements’. Uncertainty about delivery times and abnormalities in installation are the things that make contractors concerned. The successful pilot caused strong interest and buzz in the market. Within about a month of the first pilot, ReCreate’s project partner, Consolis Parma, a supplier of precast concrete elements, received an inquiry about reclaimed hollow-core slabs. At the same time, another project partner, Umacon, acting as a demolition contractor, had a new demolition site, from which they identified potential hollow-core slabs for deconstruction and reuse. Umacon asked the cluster partner Ramboll, who acted as a structural engineering expert, for help to survey suitable slabs for deconstruction. Discussion was started in this network to investigate the potential for reuse from economic, technical and scheduling perspectives.

The donor building for the project was the Suutarila community centre in Helsinki. The building had been built in 1981 and was slated for demolition, as a significantly larger school building was built in its place. Ramboll provided expert services for Umacon during the preparation of the deconstruction. Consolis Parma was also monitoring the dismantling process to ensure the quality of process. The progress of the project was agreed on with a low threshold and on a fast schedule among the close-knit networks. In this project, it was decided to detach the hollow-core slabs from the roof structure to avoid the costs of possible screed removal. Ramboll made structural deconstruction design for the site in March 2025. The demolition of the roof structures began in April, and detachment of hollow core slabs started in early May, according to the original schedule.

The hollow-core slabs, a total of 64 pieces, were transported to Consolis Parma’s Nummela factory, where the refurbishment of the elements could begin. At this point, Consolis Parma used Ramboll’s help determine suitable refurbishment measures and to evidence the technical reusability of the hollow-core slabs for building authorities. Based on the tests done in the factory, the hollow-core slabs fulfilled the requirements clearly. The slabs were cleaned, cut to a suitable length, and necessary holes and fittings were made. Also, thermal insulation was added. The refurbishment was completed during May and June. Slabs were installed at the end of June in the Melkinlaituri comprehensive school and daycare centre building under construction in Jätkäsaari neighbourhood, Helsinki.

The commercial project validated how the process for determining reusability in accordance with the ReCreate project works in a real-life project with a tight schedule. The experiences were very encouraging and strengthened the perceptions formed in the research project about the most important steps that should be invested in. These include:

In addition to technical matters, the pre-deconstruction audit should focus on streamlining the deconstruction work and the operation of the deconstruction site.
Planning the testing during the process so that sufficient information is obtained already in the pre-deconstruction audit phase. It is essential to know the quality of components in advance so that the investment into deconstruction will not be wasted.
Logistics and refurbishment in the factory are prepared so that the factory workflow is continuous and resembles manufacturing processes. Planning the logistics of hollow-core slabs and planning their tagging so that information about the origin of the slabs is maintained throughout the process.

Umacon’s deconstruction workers detaching a hollow-core slab in May. (Photo Inari Weijo, Ramboll Finland Oy)

Left: detached hollow-core slabs in the factory (Photo: Juha Rämö, Consolis Parma). Right: refurbished, insulated hollow-core slabs ready to be transported to the new construction site (Photo: Inari Weijo, Ramboll Finland Oy)

Installation of reused hollow-core slabs in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki. (Photo: Inari Weijo, Ramboll Finland Oy)

by ReCreate project

February 13, 2025

The Finnish cluster has completed its first mini pilot in the autumn of 2024. The first batch of reclaimed elements – 25 hollow-core slabs – were reused in a block of flats in Tampere.

The building was built by Skanska for the client, affordable rental housing company A-Kruunu. The elements originate from the Finnish cluster’s deconstruction pilot, in which an office building from the 1980s was deconstructed in Tampere city center during the autumn of 2023. The new building with the reused elements stands in Härmälänranta district, Potkurinkatu street, about 6 km to the South-West from the donor building’s location.

Finnish mini pilot building

’It’s great to take part in a pilot that develops circular construction. The project corresponds to our aim to develop housing construction in Finland. The location in Härmälänranta is also attractive’, explains A-Kruunu’s development manager, Ms. Leena Oiva.

The reclaimed hollow-core slabs were reused as floors above an air-raid shelter, which was most suitable for the elements in this building considering the dimensions of the elements.

’Assembly of the reused elements was easy. It did not differ from using virgin elements. The frame of the building is fully precast, so there is further potential for reuse at the end of life.’ says Mr. Toni Tuomola, regional manager for Skanska, and continues:

’Skanska is committed to a green deal for circular economy. We will focus on reusing construction products by exploiting the learnings from ReCreate. The practical experience acquired from the pilot is therefore highly valuable.’

Reused elements were meticulously quality controlled and factory refurbished

Mini pilot installation

The elements reused in the pilot were quality controlled and factory refurbished in Consolis Parma’s factory in Kangasala, a municipality neighbouring Tampere. The first pilot produced invaluable learnings about the need for environmental permits when refurbishing and reusing elements, as well as quality control and product approval of reclaimed elements.

‘Climate change mitigation is at the heart of our strategy. Our aim is to halve our emissions by 2035. In ReCreate, we are looking into the business possibilities of reused elements and how it could contribute to our portfolio of low-carbon products’, shares Mr. Juha Rämö, technology director for Consolis Parma.

‘In addition to the factory refurbishment, we can contribute such core competencies to reuse projects as product design, storage, inspection, testing, and traceability’, Rämö continues.

Business development manager (refurbishment), Ms. Inari Weijo explains the role of Ramboll Finland:

‘In this mini pilot, we at Ramboll developed designing the refurbishment of the reclaimed elements in collaboration with the factory. We also took care of the site-specific product approval of reused elements towards the authorities.’

She elaborates:

‘We acquired useful learnings how to manage the process. This will come in handy in the next pilots and in expanding Ramboll’s service offerings in the field of reuse.’

Mini pilot floor

New pilots are being negotiated

The Finnish cluster aims to pilot reuse of reclaimed precast concrete in more than one building project. Different kinds of buildings and projects will contribute versatile understanding about the requirements for reuse in different contexts. Real-life pilots help to identify barriers to reuse that must be removed in order for reuse to become mainstream.

‘This mini pilot was a valuable first step towards more widespread reuse’, says ReCreate’s coordinator and the Finnish cluster’s leader, Prof. Satu Huuhka from Tampere University.

ReCreate’s Finnish cluster is formed by Tampere University, Skanska, Consolis Parma, Ramboll Finland, Umacon, LIIKE architects, and the City of Tampere.

by ReCreate project

March 15, 2024

Inari Weijo, business development manager (refurbishment), Ramboll Finland

During my master’s thesis work over 15 years ago, I familiarised myself with precast production and its history in Finland. After that, precast concrete has been playing a role in one way or another in my work career. Many projects have involved either repairing precast concrete buildings or building new ones. Since the 1970’s, precast concrete production has formed a significant part of the Finnish construction sector. The systematic and ‘simple’ method provided a standardized way to build, and it quickly became very widespread. The precast concrete system has been criticized for producing a unified stock of buildings, reducing versatility in urban environment and suppressing designers’ creativity. Since the early days, though, the technique spread to erecting ever more complex and monumental buildings. It has been foundational for providing a fast and trusted way for building construction in Finland. There are thousands and thousands of precast concrete buildings here, and some of them are already slated for demolition. A part of the buildings suffers from degradation, but many are just mislocated from today’s point of view.

Figure 1. Finnish deconstruction pilot in Tampere, building vacated before the deconstruction of elements for reuse.

I believe that technical know-how is essential for creativity and enables responsible and sustainable construction. We must be more aware of our decisions’ environmental impacts when building new. Architects’ and engineers’ creativity is ever more challenged as we must prioritize sustainability values. Knowing the technical limitations and possibilities is crucial, so that creativity can be unleashed in the right place at the right time, and adverse uncertainties can be eliminated. Building new is inevitable in the future too, but we need to redefine ‘new’. We must apply regenerative thinking, create net positive solutions and aim for more ambitious circularity. The actions we undertake should have a positive impact on nature and the environment so that instead of consuming it, they restore and revive it. This is a leading value for Ramboll.

Figure 2. Regenerative approach to construction. Image source: Ramboll.

The prevalence of precast technology and the aim for a regenerative effect on environment are two leading thoughts that that drive our ambition here at Ramboll to examine and challenge the present business as usual in the construction sector. The headline’s statement inspires me and my colleagues at Ramboll Finland when we seek to find alternative ways to utilize what already exists. The built environment is a bank of building parts that has technically perfectly fine components stocked in it, preserved intact inside buildings. Only processes and systems to utilize them effectively are needed. I sometimes face people itemising reasons and obstacles why reusing building parts is way too difficult. I believe this pessimistic attitude may well up from the insecurity that follows from the building sector changing dramatically. There may also be a disbelief whether the huge leap, which is necessary, can be taken. Some of the items that the sceptics list are well known, some are relevant, and some are just fictional. We need to keep solving them one by one, showcasing with real-life projects that this is possible and acquire more experience to narrow down the gaping hole between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ way of building.

An important milestone has been reached when the Finnish cluster finished the deconstruction of the pilot building in Tampere this autumn. We succeeded to reclaim several hundred hollow-core slabs, columns and beams intact, ready for use on next building site. It’s been encouraging to gain good test results, both before deconstruction, through a condition investigation, and after deconstruction, as some of the deconstructed elements have been load tested. All has been well from an engineer’s perspective! Now, the reclaimed building parts are being fitted into prospective new building projects. The search for the new building site has not been stalled because of any technical issues but rather by the currently poor market situation.

That final issue to solve – an important one indeed – is the business model that can support reuse. A circular business needs more collaboration among all the players in the field. Technically we are ready to say ‘yes’ to reusing precast concrete elements!

Figure 3. Reclaimed hollow-core slab, deconstructed from the donor building in Tampere.

Ramboll Finland - Recreate

First commercial replication of the ReCreate solution in Finland

First elements reclaimed by the Finnish cluster reused in a real-life mini pilot

Reusing precast concrete elements will play a big role in Finnish built environment

First commercial replication of the ReCreate solution in Finland

The Dutch Mock-up: Building, Testing, and Learning for a Circular Future

Circularity in the Built Environment 2025: Reflections and What’s Next

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