What is the best thing to do with 2 million tons of construction waste? Reprocess as much as possible and use it on site! On the site of the former Bavarian barracks, it is possible to see how the circular economy works in the construction sector.
Much has already been written, spoken about and shown about the Bayernkaserne project. But the “quarry” in the north of Munich is also something special. Not only because it is one of the largest construction sites in Germany. Since 2014, digging, excavating, screening and sorting have been carried out here, and forward-looking solutions have been developed and tested. Why all the work? To do what everyone should do these days: conserve resources and save CO2. A pleasant side effect: the costs of the construction project can also be significantly reduced.
The idea is very simple: take what is already there.
Demolition buildings are material warehouses for secondary raw materials. This is now known in expert circles. Nevertheless, not everyone has jumped on the bandwagon yet. Of course, a demolition like the one at the Bayernkaserne is a feat of strength for planning and logistics, occupies many experts, requires care, caution and thousands of hand movements. But in the long run, it’s worth it. And this must be in the minds of architects, builders, investors, planners and all stakeholders in the construction and real estate sectors.
Just imagine: More than half of all construction waste does not have to be carted to distant landfills or downcycled, but can be reused. Millions of kilometers do not have to be driven. New houses, green roofs, squares and green spaces are made from materials that were already there. And: The demand for primary raw materials can be significantly reduced.
Mineral construction waste becomes certified building material.
In the Bayernkaserne model project, materials are extracted from construction rubble, topsoil, subsoil and subsoil that can be used for redevelopment. Huge quantities of minerals are extracted from the soil and from the demolition buildings. In a large hall directly on site, the newly obtained raw materials are processed into bulk material, substrates or high-quality recycled concrete from 100 percent recycled aggregates. Crushing, mixing and screening plants are used for the recycling process. Numerous companies are involved. Some of the DMU’s diverse tasks: planning, technical management, supervision.
Crucial steps are required to produce the raw materials for the recycled products, namely:
- Dismantling by type
- Sorting of the materials in the crushing plant
- Fine sorting in the screening plant
The effects if everything goes according to plan:
- Recycling half of a total of 2 million tonnes of construction waste
- = one sixth of the total amount required for the new building
- Reduction of transport routes to and from the Bavarian barracks of 3.3 million kilometres = 82 times around the world
“What many people don’t realize is that the newly obtained building materials are not materials of inferior quality just because there is an “R” in front of them,” emphasizes Stefan Möbius, (authorized signatory DMU Consult). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety is also slowly coming up with the topic of recycling construction waste. This is a good thing and urgently needed. After all, Munich wants to be climate-neutral by 2035.
