Reducing the carbon footprint through reusing building materials: A case study of the Framtiden Byggutveckling residential building project Selma 2 Block 10

Abstract

The world is facing large scale climate and environmental challenges where the building sector accounts for a large share of the environmental impacts caused by material extraction, production, and use. In spite the fact that the built environment has major climate impact, a growing society demands an even more extensive building industry which in turn requires a radical development of sustainable building processes. Reuse of building materials can contribute to lowering the carbon footprints from buildings by using products several times in a closed loop. This thesis explores the possibilities and climate benefits from reusing building materials. Furthermore, it identifies possible trade-offs and challenges connected to the practice. The research process consists of a literature review and a case study of the residential building project Selma 2 Block 10. The case study includes interviews on reusable materials in Selma 2 Block 10 and LCA calculations comparing the carbon footprint from a reference case with the carbon footprints from three types of reuse cases. The findings suggest that there are possibilities to reuse building materials but also that there are several trade-offs and challenges connected to the practice, such as traditions, quality, and logistics. Moreover, the results from the LCA calculations in the case study suggest that the carbon footprint of Selma 2 Block 10 can be reduced by 76%.