Acircular symbol of thecircular economy

At the new recycling station in Lisbjerg, waste is turned into resources. This core assignment is physically manifested in the facility structure itself, as most of the building blocks are made from recycled materials.

We must improve our abilities to recycle. Not just due to environmental concerns or for the benefit of our common CO₂ accounts, but also because resource scarcity will be a significant challenge in the years to come. In Lisbjerg near Aarhus, the new recycling station is one of the many parts in a big system built to strengthen the circular economy through more recycling. It makes sense that recycled materials are strongly represented everywhere in the station’s building components and construction works.

60% reused concrete

The substructures for the open spaces and roads of the facility are made of crushed concrete and bricks, while pavements are made of recycled concrete and asphalt. The perimeter wall, retaining walls, pillars and the load-bearing walls in the staff building are made of a concrete mix containing 60% recycled crushed concrete. The remaining part of the staff building is made of recycled timber. This is also the case with the two halls functioning as an exchange centre for recycled materials.

All façades and fascia boards are made of undressed wood, and the interior surfaces are made partly of recycled materials, partly of surplus materials from suppliers.

A case for the building industry

The building industry is a major supplier of waste and generates approx. 35% of the total amount in Denmark. It is also clear that far more could be done to ensure a good flow of materials from worn-out buildings to new ones.

We have worked with recycled materials in several contexts, but in the grand perspective, it is still unknown territory. Hence, projects like these contribute to gradually educating the industry when it comes to the circular proces.

As engineers on this project, we were responsible for detailed project design of all structures and construction work, which included special calculations for the use of the recycled materials. Another significant assignment was obtaining the permission to use the unorthodox materials, Morten explains:

Generally speaking, we are missing clear guidelines, and that can easily be a challenge for streamlining the process. We could have risked having to seek exemptions for all materials, which would have been a staggering amount of work. Luckily, we had a constructive dialogue with the construction authorities, which allowed us to reach our goal more easily. It takes flexibility and an open mind from all parties if we are to increase the use of recycled materials.