Implementation of reuse of concrete elements in large scale – condition assessment and quality assurance for prefabricated and in-situ cast concrete in Sweden

¹ RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Infrastructure and Concrete Technology, Material Design, Sven Hultins plats 4, Gothenburg, Sweden
² RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Chemistry and Applied Mechanics, Mechanical Research and Innovation, Brinellgatan 4, Borås, Sweden

Abstract

Strategic reuse of disassembled concrete elements in new buildings may be one of the solutions that will support the transition to circular construction. However, there are no EN standards instructing how to tackle quality assurance of concrete elements for reuse. The work on the Swedish standard for the reuse of prefabricated concrete elements was initiated within the national standardisation committee based on multiple experiences from previous and ongoing projects. This paper describes a methodology for material and structure investigations combining non-destructive on-site testing with traditional laboratory tests of samples extracted from the structures. The proposed method divides structures into four types depending on their production technology and according to CE-marking rules: 1) Hollow-core decks, 2) Prefabricated elements with prestressed reinforcement, 3) Prefabricated elements with standard reinforcement 4) In-situ cast concrete elements. The proposed approach was validated on the results from six demonstration projects, where real buildings in Stockholm and Gothenburg (Sweden) were reused or prepared for reuse to different extents. The analysed buildings had different functions (housing, office, parking) and structures (prefabricated elements and in-situ cast concrete), representative of the Swedish building stock. One of the buildings has been already dissembled and the prefabricated hollow-core slabs have been successfully reused for a housing construction.