Over four years, the European ReCreate project is investigating how used concrete elements can be dismantled non-destructively and reused in new buildings in order to develop a profitable business model. CIRCULAR STRUCTURAL DESIGN is one of the 15 project partners and is collaborating with researchers and practitioners from five European countries. The project is divided into 10 work packages with different focal points. Pilot projects in various countries deal with the deconstruction of concrete elements, their new design and reuse. One example is the partial demolition of 36 residential units in Hohenmölsen, Germany, in which up to 150 dismantled concrete elements are to be reused.

A circularity index like the one proposed by the DGNB could help projects like the one in Hohenmölsen by making it possible to measure how well material flows and potentials are used. Waste minimization in all construction processes and the targeted use of materials from the circular economy could ensure circularity as a future potential. The development and testing of various circularity scores, including the one proposed by the DGNB, illustrate the importance and necessity of a circularity index as it could be applied in projects such as ReCreate.