Reusing brick, concrete or slate, a new construction project

Overview of ideas developed by entrepreneurs and eco-organizations to reuse materials in new constructions.

Concrete

The manufacture of cement, an essential ingredient in concrete, is alone responsible for 7% of global CO2 emissions, making this material, the most used in the construction sector, one of the most polluting, according to a UN study published in 2023.

To reduce the production of new concrete, the eco-organization Ecominéro recovered the facade panels during the demolition of a building in Melun (Île-de-France) in order to reuse them, among other things, as terrace slabs or foundations for new housing buildings.

Ecominéro has financially supported a dozen projects aimed at exploring the possible uses of recycled concrete over the past year.

The brick

In Pas-de-Calais, the machinery distributor Kavik offers contractors wishing to reduce their carbon footprint the opportunity to rent a machine which can recycle bricks on the demolition site.

"A brick is still good for up to 60 years, even if it is not recommended to reuse them on load-bearing walls, they can still be used to embellish a facade," explains Franck David, the founder of Kavik.

Thus, the Recyc Brique, a machine designed in Quebec, can clean three to eight bricks per minute by removing the mortar with a system of grinding wheels and diamond discs, "a job that was once arduous for the mason who did it manually."

"It is possible to save up to 95% of the bricks in a building when it is carefully deconstructed," says David.

Metal

"Only 1% of construction materials are reused at the moment, but as far as the metal industry is concerned, we have put everything in place to reach a rate of 10% to 15% in a few years," assures Amor Ben Larbi, director of research projects at the Industrial Technical Center for Metal Construction (CTICM).

The plan is divided into three parts: a digital platform for selling and buying metal products, a van equipped to help companies identify reusable materials, and the publication of a reference system to guarantee the quality of reused metal and facilitate its insurability.

"Now, we need to increase the reuse of metal in order to reduce costs, which in some cases exceed those of new metal," explains Mr. Ben Larbi.

Zinc and slate

For two years, the company Toit de Paris has been recovering the zinc that makes up the roofs of the capital's Haussmannian buildings to make key rings or decorative plaques, but this young SME has other ambitions.

With the support of the eco-organization Ecominéro, the young company is preparing to conduct tests next year to reuse slate or zinc in future constructions.

"The tiles that are sufficiently waterproof will be reused for the roof and the others will be used as exterior cladding or as signage in buildings," explains Constance Fichet-Schulz, the founder of Toit de Paris.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.