Modular Reuse of Existing Load‐Bearing Structures: From Concept to Full‐Scale Demonstration
Abstract The reuse of load‐bearing reinforced concrete elements represents a promising approach to reducing CO 2 emissions and resource consumption in the construction industry. This paper presents the holistic process of modular reuse, ranging from the identification of suitable donor structures through element extraction and characterization to the assembly of new load‐bearing structures. Attention is paid to the development of systematic methods for element identification using Scan‐to‐BIM, as well as to the evaluation of different separation methods in terms of their impact on element quality. Experimental investigations combine non‐destructive and semi‐destructive testing methods to determine material properties and structural integrity. The results show that, although selective demolition methods require greater effort, they contribute significantly to the preservation of element quality. In addition, a digital element catalogue with a semantic data structure is presented, which enables consistent documentation and further processing of element information. The approaches developed are validated in full‐scale demonstration projects and contribute to the establishment of circular construction methods.
Authors
- PETER MARK
- Alexander Ahrens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2337-1571)
- Iurie Curoșu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7864-4565)
- Sylvia Meister
- David Sanio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2507-3578)
- Andreas Vogel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7429-0667)
- Fabian Kannenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0316-1769)
- Ernst Niederleithinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2501-2249)
- Nzeeh Roumia
- David Ringeloth
- Aleksandr Bogojevic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7234-2426)
- Nina Krautgartner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3836-1177)
- Oleksandr Al‐Shboul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8996-0512)
- Markus König (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2729-7743)
- Marwin Dollendorf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8090-9828)
- Hendrik Zielonka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7574-5516)
- Yehia Abdelazziz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4927-4801)
- Swantje Pieplow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1012-4852)
- Razhan S. Ahmed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7391-1182)
- Achim Menges (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9055-4039)
- Gerrit Neu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5490-1320)
Institutions
- University of Stuttgart (DE)
- Federal Institute For Materials Research and Testing (DE)
- Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Beton- und Stahlbetonbau
- Published
- 2026-05-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/best.70148
- Primary Topic
- BIM and Construction Integration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft