ABSTRACT
Buildings now reaching their end-of-life were not constructed in the past with thoughts of later reuse of materials or structures. Even today, demolition as one possible strategy at the end-of-life of a building is not deeply investigated. While buildings from the latter half of the last century reach their end-of-life and rebuilding at the same places becomes ever more important, demolition techniques also become increasingly important. The boundary conditions are a dense building development and high traffic rates, so that any uncontrolled methods for demolition are no longer appropriate. Another issue concerns waste management: Especially in highly populated areas of Europe, the amount of re-or downcycled concrete or masonry coming from demolition projects is about twice as much as the need for recycled material e.g. as an alternative to natural gravel. In general, the need for crushed concrete or masonry depends on the availability of natural resources. The best recycling quotes are reached for metals such as steel, copper and aluminum. The typical new-life scenario for scrap-metals is melting and producing a new product. Nevertheless, a high amount of energy is needed for the process of remelting old steel elements to fabricate new products. This paper discusses the possibilities to reuse steel-fabricated buildings on new places. Two scenarios are developed: Chances to reuse parts such as girders and columns as well as reuse single storey halls as a whole.
