Methods of Interaction for the Modular Reuse of Existing Load-Bearing Structures
In April 2025 the German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted funding for the new Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1683 "Methods of Interaction for the Modular Reuse of Existing Load-Bearing Structures". The CRC has been initiated by Prof. Peter Mark and Prof. Markus König at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). ICD Stuttgart is contributing to the CRC 1683 within the sub-project A01 "Form- and Utilisation-Aware Design Methods for Structures Made from Reused RC Elements".
Contemporary construction usually involves recycling, if at all, through low level reuse (down-cycling). This particularly applies to the worldwide predominant construction technique with concrete, which – demolished and crushed – ends up as bulk material or, with huge effort and new cement, becomes a less solid recycled building material. Hundreds of thousands of civil and industrial buildings are affected in Germany alone. The global number is vast. At the end of service life, these reinforced concrete structures are simply crushed despite a largely intact load-bearing structure. A vicious circle of degradation emerges that spends resources needlessly and generates enormous amounts of waste and CO2 emissions for reprocessing. To achieve the global sustainability goals, just the opposite is required, namely the conservation of material and
structural qualities (equal-cycling), a minimal use of primary resources and a maximum of greenhouse gas reduction. This is exactly where the proposed Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) comes into play.
The aim of the CRC is to investigate the genuine reuse of concrete elements on a structural level and, to this end, develop fundamental scientific methods. In that sense, sustainability guides the methodology. The idea is not to demolish existing structures in an uncontrolled manner, but to deconstruct them rationally into modules (rough cut). The modules are characterised regarding their properties, refurbished (fine processing), regenerated if necessary and joined into new structures in a modular fashion. Detachable connections make these new load-bearing structures circularly reusable. Moreover, they are adaptable to future changes in use and allow the exchange of modules and the integration of new elements, thus creating a circular modular construction. Existing foundations become foundation modules and attractors when defining new structures.
The mission is to transform concrete construction into a sustainable, circular process of modular construction. This requires a holistic, digitally linked approach which delivers universally valid methods and design processes to suit automation, despite using individual basic structures.
ICD is involved in the Collaborative Research Centre 1683 through sub-project A01:
Form- and Utilisation-Aware Design Methods for Structures Made from Reused RC Elements