WP7 - Recreate

September 27, 2024
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Written by Linnea Harala & Lauri Alkki

The ReCreate pilot projects in Finland, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands highlight diverse approaches to implementing concrete element reuse, each influenced by unique building types, contexts and organizational structures. An initial analysis by ReCreate’s business research work package (WP7) has revealed distinct patterns in these approaches, primarily categorized into centralized and decentralized models. During the ReCreate annual meeting in Zagreb, WP7 also organized a workshop to present the identified approaches to other project partners and to get feedback on the initial analysis.

 

Figure 1 & 2. Workshop between ReCreate partners at the annual meeting in Zagreb on the preliminary results of the two different approaches.

The identified approaches – A) centralized & B) decentralized

The centralized approach is characterized by a single key actor managing multiple phases of deconstruction and reuse. This model is most prominent in the Netherlands. There, the same actor is responsible for deconstructing a building and reusing most of its elements in a new structure, a process referred to as 1-on-1 reuse. The ecosystem in a centralized model is simple, with a central hub managing all operations. The key actor controls the flow of information and data mostly internally, ensuring streamlined communication and decision-making. In addition, the key actor’s business model extends to both deconstruction and reuse, highlighting its capabilities and resources. A strong single actor can oversee the entire project, facilitating optimized and controlled execution. With one key actor at the helm, there is a clearer distribution of tasks and responsibilities. On the other hand, success depends heavily on the performance and capabilities of the key actor.

Conversely, the decentralized approach involves multiple specialized actors managing different phases of deconstruction and reuse. This model is evident in Finland and Sweden, where elements are harvested and reused in various buildings. The ecosystem in the decentralized approach consists of several specialized, complementary companies and organizations. Therefore, effective communication and data sharing between these actors has been identified as a critical factor for success. In the decentralized approach, each actor operates based on its expertise and specialization, contributing to a more diversified and flexible business landscape. The feasibility of the decentralized model depends on how well the project organization coordinates multiple companies. This complexity requires robust inter-organizational collaboration to ensure smooth transitions between phases, as multiple actors require more discussion to define responsibilities at different stages, at least initially.

Overall, it can be seen that in the centralized approach, the control of the dominant key actor can streamline operations, but it relies heavily on this actor’s capabilities. On the other hand, the decentralized approach, while more complex, offers flexibility and the potential to leverage a wider range of expertise. In both approaches, the work phases and tasks are largely the same, but their overlap and sequence may vary. Ultimately, understanding these approaches allows for better strategic decisions throughout the concrete element reuse process, promoting more sustainable and efficient construction practices.


November 13, 2023
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Matias Rokio, Tampere University – 13 November 2023

My name is Matias Rokio, and for the year 2023, I’ve been doing research in ReCreate. My background is in industrial engineering and management, and I have been studying since 2017 at Tampere University. I graduated with an M.Sc in June 2023 and wrote my Master’s thesis on resilience in Finnish health care with an emphasis on information asymmetries. My minor in sustainable production steered me towards the areas of sustainability and circular economy, which I feel should receive a lot of attention in research in varied fields. Currently, I am in the process of applying for a doctoral position at Tampere University, which I will hopefully receive sometime during this year. In my personal life, along with my work as a researcher, I am a semi-professional drummer in a few different groups and doing all kinds of session work for different artists.

Currently, I am working at Tampere University in a CROPS research group, which collaborates with ReCreate’s WP7 through my research. According to WP7 objectives, the work package aims to accelerate the development of a scalable and profitable business model for reused precast concrete components in different environments. Especially within the construction industry, the circular economy has tremendous potential in driving a transition towards more sustainable practises, as concrete manufacturing alone generates around 4-8% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

My research article on ReCreate approaches the concrete element reuse from project management’s perspective, with an aim to unveil how applying circular economy principles in projects affects the inter-organisational collaboration and value creation in the project front-end. In my research, the front-end spans the planning phase of the Finnish country pilot, where the deconstruction of an office building in Tampere city centre and the subsequent phases to it were planned in detail. The purpose of the research is to enrich the discussion around sustainable project management and showcase a project where sustainability is promoted through circular economy practises. Also, the circular economy discussion, despite its trending and important nature, is currently still lacking in the project management context, which makes the research interesting for project management scholars.

In the research, we found out that when a construction project is based on the reuse principle, the front-end phase requires more actors to collaborate in the project planning and some actors are required to take on new tasks in the project. For example, a structural engineering company was an integral part of the deconstruction planning of the building, whereas, in a conventional demolition project, the demolition company does the planning by themselves. It is also evident that there are several new business opportunities for the actors involved that could build new services and marketplaces around the reusable concrete elements and reach new customers through collaboration in the project. Currently, several barriers to the wider adoption of concrete elements reuse still remain, as manufacturing new concrete elements is relatively cheap whilst detaching, and refurbishing the old elements is somewhat time-consuming, and a regulative incentive for adopting the reuse principle is lacking.


March 2, 2022
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Tampere University researchers from WP 7 in Finland visited KTH and the Swedish country cluster in Stockholm in October 2021

Two researchers, Linnea Harala and Lauri Alkki, from Tampere University Work Package 7 in Finland visited KTH and the Swedish country cluster in Stockholm in October 2021. The research of Work Package 7 focuses on the business aspects within ReCreate and the first research deliverable focuses on mapping the local ecosystems of concrete element reuse. The examination of these ecosystems was initiated in summer 2021 within the Finnish Country Cluster by research interviews and ethnographic follow-up. After we had gained a basic overview of the actors, their linkages and ecosystem structures within the Finnish country cluster, we expanded our ecosystem research activities to the Swedish country cluster.

 

During the research visit to Stockholm, Linnea and Lauri were warmly welcomed to KTH by the Swedish country cluster. This first research visit included formal and informal activities facilitating to get to know each other during meetings, campus tours and delicious lunches. The main research activities included research interviews with the key ecosystem actors and ethnographic follow-up on a reference project site visit and during the Swedish country cluster meeting. However, in addition to these research activities, networking and exchanging knowledge between the country clusters was also of great importance for the collaboration between the Finnish and Swedish country clusters.

 

ReCreate’s first cross-country cluster research visit exceeded our expectations and laid the groundwork for international future research collaboration within ReCreate. International collaboration was soon initiated as at the beginning of 2022 researchers from the Finnish country cluster started a joint research publication project together with researchers from the Swedish country cluster. This article aims to create an understanding of the concrete element reuse ecosystems in Finland and Sweden. All in all, this research visit was a great way to initiate cross-country cluster collaboration within ReCreate, exchange ideas and knowledge and ultimately improve ReCreate’s influence to maximize impact.

Photo credit: Hanna Kalla, KTH





EU FUNDING

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

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