State of the Art of Demolition and Reuse and Recycling of Construction Materials

Nowadays, due to globally increasing building densities in cities, demolition works are an inherent part of construction. And they are focal activities related to life-cycle-oriented management of construction materials, which aims at drastically reduce the deployment and consumption of primary non-renewable construction materials. To give an overview on related worldwide existing activities, the state of the art of demolition and of reuse and recycling of construction materials is summarized in a report of selected countries based on reports of these countries. Within this report, first typical structures of the demolition and recycling industry in different countries, typical phases of demolition and recycling processes and involved stakeholders with their characteristic competencies are described. Secondly, leading companies, associations and research institutions in selected countries are outlined. Leading processes are identified by distinguishing between design processes for deconstruction, deconstruction processes on-site and innovative on-site and off-site recycling processes. Thirdly, challenges related to demolition and reuse and recycling of construction materials are identified and analysed in terms of technical, economic, ecologic, organizational and educational and political/legal challenges. Finally, single, country specific, already existing approaches to meet these challenges are identified