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Close-up of a landmark in the Ruhr region against a red evening sky © Marcel R​/​stock.adobe.com
Collaborative Research Center Launched

Turning the Old into the New in Construction

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Photo: Researchers Peter Mark and David Sanio are inspecting a concrete component. © Marquard​/​RUB
Peter Mark (left), spokesperson, and David Sanio, coordinator of the new Collaborative Research Center, plan to use old concrete components in new buildings.
Where the NA and GC buildings once stood, large holes now gape on the campus of Ruhr University Bochum. Not everything that once stood here has turned into construction waste, however: some components—such as walls, ceilings, and columns—have been salvaged and carefully examined by members of Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1683 “Interaction Methods for the Modular Reuse of Existing Load-Bearing Structures.” Their approach is to create new buildings from existing structural components. The CRC launched in April 2025.

Building with concrete releases enormous amounts of CO₂. At the same time, demolishing old buildings produces so much construction waste that, if the trend continues, it could theoretically cover the entire country. “We simply cannot afford either of these,” says Prof. Peter Mark. He is the spokesperson for the new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1683 “Interaction Methods for the Modular Reuse of Existing Load-Bearing Structures” at Ruhr University Bochum, which has been approved for four years by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The project aims to reuse concrete components from old buildings in new construction. “This Collaborative Research Center is a prime example of the concrete implementation of our sustainability strategy,” says Prof. Martin Paul, Rector of Ruhr University Bochum. “Our motto ‘Built to change’ could hardly be brought to life more convincingly.”

Reuse Is Not Recycling

Since 1945, an almost unimaginable 16 billion tons of concrete have been used in Germany—at least. “When you consider that houses are designed for a service life of around 50 years and bridges for about 100 years, you get an idea of how many buildings will reach the end of their life in the coming decades,” says Peter Mark. At the same time, new structures are needed—for housing, office buildings, and bridges. It therefore seems logical to reuse existing components from older structures in new ones—rather than recycling them. “In recycling, building materials are crushed and combined again with new cement. This only saves a small amount of CO₂ and also reduces structural strength,” explains Dr. David Sanio, who coordinates the CRC team.

Instead, the researchers envision using a kind of modular system of existing components such as ceilings, walls, columns, and foundations. They have already secured examples of such components from the demolition sites of the NA and GC buildings on the Ruhr University Bochum campus. The team is conducting extensive tests on these elements—for example, to determine their load-bearing capacity, identify possible damage and aging effects, and upgrade the components if necessary. After all, the new buildings must be safe. Logistics will also be a focus of the research: how can a new building be constructed from old components that must be available at the right time and place? Extensive storage of components is not planned. “The construction sector will have to undergo a complete change in thinking,” Peter Mark is convinced. “But it is both possible and necessary in the face of climate change.”

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This news item was originally published on the homepage of Ruhr University Bochum.