We can reuse and retrofit buildings to extend their lifespans, and reduce their embodied carbon impact. But some structures may not be suitable for full reuse: some will have reached the end of their safe life; others will have no viable reuse; and some retrofit projects may require partial dismantling to reduce loadings on the original structure.

But demolition or disassembly does not need to mark the end of the life of building materials. With care and planning, these can be dismantled and used anew. Around the UK, we see centuries old pubs and homes built using recovered timbers, from ships and structures. But this is just a starting point for materials reuse.

In this episode, a follow-up to episode 315 Renewing the world, without costing the planet, we learn why architects and engineers should plan for materials reuse, from design through to demolition or disassembly. We examine how different materials can be reused. And we look at the development of trading platforms that enable the use of reclaimed materials at scale.

Guests

Will Arnold, head of climate action, IStructE

Prof. Katherine Cashell, Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE), University College London

Mike Davies, co-founder/director, SD Engineers

Image credit

Installing a Re:Crete bridge in Wallis, Switzerland, courtesy of EPFL, under CC-BY

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