Public and private owners wanted

The Structural Xploration Laboratory (SXL) at EPFL is carrying out a research project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), on the reuse potential of architectural and structural components in the Swiss building stock. This will be made possible by the creation of a large database of buildings located in Switzerland. Any owner wishing to contribute to this research is invited to contact the authors of the study by the end of June.

Reuse consists in employing whole construction elements for a second life cycle in a new building, after they have been dismantled from another building being demolished. Whereas recycling generates new products through energy intensive waste transformations, reuse extends the service life of an existing product by reclaiming it as a whole, exploiting the most out of all its preexisting functional and technical features. It is a circular approach allowing to achieve greater sustainability in the construction industry.

To evaluate the reuse potential in Switzerland, our cities and constructions must be considered as material banks. To localize the elements possibly reusable and foresee their reclamation, a precise knowledge of the Swiss building stock and its different construction typologies has to be developed. This is made possible by the creation of a large database containing drafts and drawings as well as reports on existing or demolished buildings located everywhere in Switzerland.

The SXL is thus looking for private or public owners, businesses or individuals, ready to contribute to this database. The set of studied objects is bounded to residential, office, commercial, and regular industrial buildings. From private house to large warehouse, any building has a potential! To contribute to the database, contact reemploi.suisse@epfl.ch.