In eight buildings in Oslo and Trondheim, 16,639 building materials have been assessed for reuse in other buildings. The savings can be large, both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and financial savings, shows the project carried out by the companies Multiconsult and Loopfront
Reuse of Building Materials Can Provide Major Savings
If these materials replace new purchases, the savings could potentially be 340 tonnes of CO2 equivalents and approximately NOK 34 million, shows the final report which has now been sent to Enova.
- This project illustrates the potential that lies in thinking in terms circular economy across the construction industry. The survey shows that we can have financial savings in the millions, and at the same time drastically reduce climate emissions from the industry - only by reusing materials in eight individual projects. This tells us that society as a whole can save enormous amounts of resources by choosing circular solutions, says Therese Bodding Sæthre, director of geo, water and environment at Multiconsult.
The purpose of the project has been to map out and plan the reuse of building materials in specific buildings. The project«Regionale Ombruksnettverk for byggematerialer» (Regional Recycling Networks for Building Materials) has received support from Enova, and major players such as Oslo Areal, Höegh Eiendom, Omsorgsbygg Oslo KF, Entra ASA, Trondheim Municipality and Statsbygg have participated in the work that has been going on for over six months.
Over the course of six months, 95,000 m2 of building stock and 16,639 material units in eight buildings have been mapped out to look at the potential for reuse. Among the most relevant building materials for reuse are ceilings, exterior and interior walls, windows, doors, luminaires and lighting, heating and sanitation.
Great Potential for a Circular Economy
Improved planning, enhanced production of materials and good logistics are crucial to reducing the amount of waste and the footprint of the industry. Digital solutions are an important key factor in achieving this, and this project shows how great the potential can actually be, says Michael Curtis, CEO of Loopfront.
Ombruk er et av de mest aktuelle temaene i bygg-, - anleggs- og eiendomsnæringen akkurat nå. Næringen står samlet for 16 prosent av Norges klimagassutslipp og byggenæringen for rundt 26 prosent av avfallsproduksjonen i Norge. Det er dermed et stort potensial for å gjøre næringen mer bærekraftig ved å ta vare på byggene som finnes og bruke materialer på nytt.
Reuse is one of the most relevant topics in the construction- and real estate industry right now. The industry collectively accounts for 16 per cent of Norway's greenhouse gas emissions and the construction industry for around 26 per cent of waste production in Norway. There is thus a great potential for making the industry more sustainable by taking care of the existing buildings and reusing materials.
Dependent on the Construction Industry
- The construction industry accounts for as much as 40 percent of global climate emissions. If we are to succeed with improving the climate change, we are words dependent on the construction industry putting in place systems for reuse. Now we also get to document the effects of choosing circular solutions. Therefore, we both believe and hope that the project will contribute to more people seeing the potential in managing materials and equipment more efficiently than we do today, says Michael Curtis in Loopfront.
Loopfront AS har utviklet den digitale samhandlingsplattform som er brukt i kartleggingen av byggematerialene. Multiconsult har bidratt i å gjennomføre kartleggingen, vurdere tilstanden og finne fram til hvor materialer kan brukes på nytt. Prosjektet har nå levert sluttrapporten til Enova.
Loopfront AS has developed the digital collaboration platform that is used in the mapping of the building materials. Multiconsult has helped to carry out the survey, assess the condition of the materials and find out where they can be used again. The project has now submitted the final report to Enova.
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