New guidance from Arup has set out how the property sector can reuse and recycle more building materials and take a more circular approach to construction.

The consultancy’s new Reuse Playbook, created in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Circular Leaders Group, responds to one of the sector’s most persistent barriers: uncertainty over the performance and reuse potential of existing structures and reclaimed materials.

Arup says construction consumes around half of all raw materials extracted globally, and every week the world adds new buildings equivalent to the size of Paris. Report authors argue that the sector can cut costs, carbon and waste by keeping structures in use for longer and reusing more components when buildings change.

The guidance gives a practical roadmap for developers, designers, contractors and insurers to bring more materials back into circulation and reduce the amount sent to landfill. It sets out:

• How design teams can use tools such as digital material passports and advanced testing methods to make reuse, recycling and upcycling more predictable and commercially viable.
• How reuse can retain value that is often lost through material depreciation and premature demolition.
• How the future value of components, whether through salvage, reuse, or recycling, can be integrated into cost plans and sensitivity testing, turning a perceived cost into a measurable long term benefit.
• How external pressures, including carbon taxes, subsidies, government mandates, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, create incentives that strengthen the financial case for reuse and recycling.

For example, in the UK the London Retrofit First planning frameworks push developers to justify demolition and potentially reward reclamation, while carbon credit savings associated with reclaimed materials can help strengthen the economic case.

The guidance also outlines the roles of developers, designers, contractors and insurers in bringing reclaimed materials back into circulation and integrating them into new schemes. In addition, it argues that clearer data, better testing and more consistent processes can help developers and insurers make decisions with greater confidence, particularly on complex retrofit schemes.

The challenge facing the property sector is reflected in the fact that an estimated 10% of the 40,000 tall buildings around the world are nearing the end of their life and are likely to face demolition.

Many of these buildings are structurally sound but could be upgraded to meet modern building standards and commercial requirements, making the case for greater reuse and recycling in the construction sector even stronger.

Stephen Fernandez, global retrofit leader at Arup, said: “Demolition should no longer be the default. Advances in AI and digital assessment tools now give us far greater certainty about the condition and potential of existing buildings and their components – making retrofit, reuse and upcycling more predictable and commercially viable.

“At a time of energy volatility, reducing reliance on energy-intensive materials is not just a sustainability issue, it’s a commercial imperative for property developers.”    

To read the Arup Reuse Playbook, click here