concrete.matters with Baukreisel e.V.

"concrete.matters - primary structure laboratory” investigates the possibilities of scaling up the reuse of deconstructed primary concrete elements in building transformation and new developments, while reflecting on existing research references, practitioners, and projects.

Concrete, unlike any other modern building material, has made it possible to build cheaper, higher, and faster than ever before. From the hidden hero of increasingly daring primary structures to a visible element of architectural design, it is omnipresent in today’s built environment. At the same time, it is emblematic of the environmental challenges facing the building industry: despite the awareness of how carbon- and extraction-intensive the material is, large-scale reuse of concrete remains a challenge.

Baukreisel's work addresses the systemic constraints of concrete reuse through both theoretical analysis and the construction of 1:1 mock-ups that demonstrate various approaches and possibilities for reuse. By reviewing and comparing these prototypes, the group seeks to establish an "Optimal Reuse Case" (ORC), a solution that, based on environmental, economic, and social criteria, may prove more viable than current industry practices.

This fellowship is embedded into the long-term initiative ‘reuse.matters,’ in which Baukreisel is developing methodologies to ensure materials recovered during deconstruction remain within the construction cycle.

Baukreisel is an interdisciplinary group of architects, political and social scientists, economists, and lawyers, who – after years of informal activism – founded Baukreisel e.V. as a non-profit organization in Berlin in 2022. The organization is dedicated to maximizing the re-use of building materials through research, teaching, and creative activism – confronting and challenging the material and immaterial damage of current building practices. It advocates for a fundamental reorientation of the building industry by re-evaluating and critically questioning existing processes. Baukreisel focuses on research into sustainable and circular construction, environmental protection, especially climate protection, and the development of a critical awareness of the social significance of building culture.