Do you have any idea how many materials and money are wasted in building? Look at demolition materials. Demolition materials have value, but the way we deal with them now, that value is largely lost. The discharged debris is crushed and placed under new roads. In the best case we save somewhat on the demolition costs. We can do better. In fact we have to do better if we want to keep sufficient biological materials available for building in the future. I argue for a different approach; a sustainable approach to concrete.
The figures are misleading
All sustainability targets in construction – including those of (biological) materials – are about the weight of demolition materials to be used again. That is a completely wrong incentive, with concrete and stone being the winners. The figures give the impression that we are doing well. We seem to make progress, because concrete and stone weigh a lot. Stony materials disappear crushed under roads. We call it recycling, but obviously it is just downgrading and dumping. Other materials such as plastics and textiles barely count due to their low weight and just get burnt. A tremendous shame for two reasons:
- A concrete structure is strong, and thus has a long life. We have to leave it intact as long as possible.
- The concrete today contains precious materials from installations (metals and plastics), materials that are irretrievably lost in demolition. A part of these precious materials is also chemical waste and consequently harmful to the environment.
Long live concrete!
So keep your hands off of the base building. That can only happen if the base building is built for change. Change of shell, roof, installations and fit-out, always tailored to the needs of different users, owners and their business models. Only then can we do justice to the life cycle of concrete and stone, and make efficient use of valuable (biological) materials.
Take the next step and share your experiences
Do you want to take a next step? Come to the FREE* Masterclass. We will work with practical tools to instantly implement the actions of my ebook in your organizational, fiscal or financial projects and organization.
Join the conversation
Do you know how to build that new way and what you need? What benefits for use do you see, which one is the most important? Share it in the comments below.
To your health and wellbeing,
Remko Zuidema
[remko_author]
This post is also available in: Nederlands
