Discarded materials from construction and demolition account for approx. 35 per cent of waste generated in the EU. Scrutiny of waste management practices reveals that construction and demolition waste (C&DW) recovery is largely based on backfilling operations and low-grade recovery, such as using recycled aggregates in road sub-bases, shows a briefing from the European Energy Agency. With constantly growing cities, there is a continued need for new buildings. At the same time, buildings are left empty in rural areas and are never reused once vacated. The buildings are therefor left to decay and consequently will need to be demolished, resulting in large amounts of C&DW

To reduce the amount of C&DW, Lendager Group developed an innovative way of reusing old materials in The Resource Rows – the first housing area developed by brick modules from old buildings. Since the 1960s, it is no longer possible to recycle individual bricks, as the mortar between the bricks is now stronger than the brick itself. The bricks are therefore cut into square modules, processed and stacked to create the walls in the Resource Rows. This innovative method makes it possible to recycle bricks and give them a lot of life in new buildings, which reduces CO2 emissions during the construction phase. Lendager ARC and Lendager UP have, in collaboration with Carlsberg Byen, cut brick modules from Carlsberg’s historic breweries in Copenhagen, so that the history and soul of the old buildings is now continued in the Resource Rows. The bricks in the project also come from old schools and industrial buildings around Denmark.

Buildings built on reused materials from old buildings could potentially reduce CO2 emissions by 70% in the construction phase.

Facts: 9148 SqM
Location: Danmark Ørestad
Partners: NREP A/S, MOE A/S and Arkitektgruppen A/S
Development periode: 2015 – 2019