Contact person
Katarina Malaga
Chef Strategisk forskning och affärsutveckling
Contact Katarina
“Like putting together a puzzle” – how we enable reuse right from the planning stage
Although reuse is often highlighted as an obvious part of sustainable construction, there are several challenges that affect how building components and materials can be utilized. The issue is not just about technology, regulations, or economics, but also about processes and cooperation between different actors. When the availability and dimensions of materials are not known in advance, it is necessary to build in room for different options already in the detailed planning stage—something that today's planning and building permit processes, which are adapted for new construction with standardized building products, have difficulty handling.
"The regulations we have today do not facilitate transformation and reuse, but neither do they hinder it. However, we need to look at how the processes are designed and how we work together to achieve the right quality levels instead of an exact picture of what we want to build. It's very much about cooperation and trust between municipalities, contractors, and developers. If all stakeholders know that quality can be ensured over time, it becomes easier to dare to experiment with reuse and innovative solutions," says Andreas Huss, project manager and architect at RISE.
Detailed development plans often specify detailed requirements for building design and materials, which can limit the possibility of using reused building components with varying dimensions and properties. The building permit process can also make reuse more difficult, as the requirements for documentation, technical and aesthetic performance can be more difficult to meet for used materials than for new ones when applying for a permit. We simply do not know exactly what materials we will have access to until closer to the start of construction.
“We need to start thinking more flexibly about dimensions, materials, and solutions so that reuse can be integrated from the outset of the project and continuously throughout the process,” says Andreas Huss.
Demolition permits and demolition processes are another obstacle. Demolition is often carried out with a focus on efficiency, which reduces the possibility of selective dismantling and reuse, despite requirements for material inventory.
Working with reuse is like putting together a puzzle where the pieces are not always perfect. That is why it is crucial that we do not lock in the detailed plan at an early stage, but instead build in options so that we can choose and adapt according to the materials and dimensions that actually become available.
When the detailed development plan becomes a tool for reuse
Within the Återhus innovation project, led by RISE, stakeholders have tested the reuse of heavy building components—in practice, “building houses from houses”—and thereby highlighted exactly which policies and processes affect the possibilities in detailed plans, building permits, and demolition permits. One of the demonstration projects within Återhus is located in central Lindome, where Förbo is developing an existing residential area with 344 apartments in need of renovation, accessibility adaptation, and densification.
“From an early stage, the focus was on preserving as much of the existing structure as possible. Sustainability is an overarching owner directive for us, but reuse in particular was developed more as a practical and ethically motivated necessity than as a formal requirement. Demolishing existing buildings is both sensitive and bad for the environment. We are both proud of and see it as a necessity to be involved in driving development forward to reduce the climate footprint of the construction sector, says Anna Olá, property development manager at Förbo.
In the end, a plan was agreed that would allow nine buildings to be demolished and replaced, but with a clear ambition to create flexibility for future stages.
“The planning horizon is so long, and a detailed plan that locks in the exact design 15–20 years ahead risks becoming wrong when the world and needs change. How can we find another way forward for more adaptable planning?” says Petter Lodmark, Architect at QPG Arkitektur, which is collaborating with Förbo on the Lindome project.
We need to look at how the processes are designed and how we work together to achieve the right quality levels, rather than focusing on an exact picture of what we want to build. If all stakeholders know that quality can be ensured over time, it becomes easier to dare to experiment with reuse and innovative solutions.
“Like putting together a puzzle”
From an architectural perspective, reuse changes the logic of planning. When you start looking at dismantling load-bearing parts, it becomes clear that the new house cannot be “designed as usual” and then filled with reused materials afterwards. Petter describes how the dimensions and direction of joists and elements affect the framework of the plan, and that the property limits must allow room to experiment with volumes and dimensions when you know exactly what you will get from the dismantling.
"Working with reuse is like putting together a puzzle where the pieces are not always perfect. That's why it's crucial that we don't lock in the detailed plan at an early stage, but build in options so that we can choose and adapt according to the materials and dimensions that actually become available. For us architects, reuse means lots of opportunities for new forms, which is incredibly exciting," says Petter Lodmark.
Anna Olá concludes:
"The biggest lesson we have learned and will take with us into future processes is to build in opportunities to choose, both in terms of design, economy, and technology, and to include this flexibility in the planning regulations so that we do not lock ourselves in.
What needs to change in the system?
To scale up reuse, a system change is needed where regulations and market models are developed together. The Återbrukslogik (Reuse Logic) project, led by RISE, addresses precisely this core issue: effective market models for reuse must interact with regulations, and municipal processes for demolition and building permits can be developed into tools that accelerate the transition.
"The project identifies two key levers: demolition permits, which, with standardization and digitization, can provide a better understanding of which building components and materials will be available and when, in what quantity and quality—making business and logistics easier. And building permits, which, with step-by-step decisions, an established quality level, and early “enabling notices,” can provide time to match materials from demolition with new construction projects," says Andreas Huss.
From ambition to implementation with the support of RISE
RISE helps you move from ambition to implementation—and create reuse that is legally, technically, and commercially viable. Within the Center for Quality Assured Reuse in the Construction Sector, construction companies gain access to expertise throughout the entire reuse chain: from inventory and resource mapping to testing, certification, requirements setting, and circular business development.
>> Center for Quality Assured Reuse in the Construction Sector | RISE
