Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction
Location
Ukraine
project period
September 2024 - March 2025
client
Tech4Dev, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Services provided
Consultancy
Partner organisation
Structural Xploration Lab (SXL), EPFL, Ukraine Waste Recycling Association (UAWRA)
Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction supports reclamation precast concrete panels from damaged housing in Ukraine in order to reuse the panels in new housing and infrastructure reconstruction. Techniques for reclamation and reuse of concrete panels are well-developed in Switzerland and other European countries. The project adapts these technologies to Ukrainian conditions, developing locally-relevant deconstruction and reuse processes including the required skills and official procedures.
EPFL’s Tech4Dev program partners researchers with organisations to develop solutions that address humanitarian and development challenges. The Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction project brings together three partners contributing specific expertise to adapt circular construction approaches to Ukrainian conditions. The first exploratory phase of the project provides an opportunity to develop detailed understanding about contextual opportunities and constraints, to test the feasibility of project objectives, and to develop a detailed proposal for the ensuing prototyping phase. This first phase involved a review of regulatory, industrial and economic conditions affecting the application of selective deconstruction and material reuse processes in Ukraine, including review of relevant laws and regulations, availability and cost of required resources including equipment and skills, and comparative cost assessments. Successful completion of the exploratory phase resulted in approval for commencement of prototyping.