Reusing interlocking concrete blocks

We are all aware of the need for resource-saving  construction. However, there are hardly any standardized procedures for how we can achieve this and, above all, how this is to be implemented in practice. The construction industry in particular is geared towards recycling building materials, but not towards reusing components and elements that have already been used before. This requires careful dismantling, removal, storage and reinstallation, which is still not reflected in common practice, nor in the standards and regulations.
The first volume, Reusing interlocking concrete blocks, explains the possibilities of reusing this building material, which was originally used as paving stones on private properties, footpaths and cycle paths, parking lots and driveways. These areas are always in need of redevelopment or renovation. The stones are dismantled and used as aggregate for recycled concrete or disposed of as construction waste.

Based on an analysis of the concrete block’s material properties, the book shows possibilities for its further use. What questions and difficulties arise in the course of planning and implementation? Where are the pitfalls and which actors need to be on board? How do you design such a project and the associated construction process? Analyses and a project realized with the building material provide answers to these questions. The project, whose execution planning and implementation is clearly documented, is supplemented by manufacturer and producer interviews.

Barbara Buser is an architect who has been dealing with reuse in construction for 30 years. She is convinced that reuse is only successful if knowledge about it is made widely available, which is why she initiated the Library of Reuse.
Daniel Stockhammer is Professor of Built Heritage & Circular Design at the University of Liechtenstein and teaches the Upcycling Design Studio.