Repair & ReuseMikkeliSort circular demolition piles in MikkeliSort circular demolition piles in Mikkeli In Mikkeli, circular demolition sorted more than 99 percent of two public buildings so concrete, bricks, and a few special parts stayed in use. The sites were Pankalampi health centre and Tuukkala hospital, both taken down in 2021 under CityLoops rules. What you can do in Mikkeli - Ask the city to put the same sorting list into the next demolition contract (CityLoops in Mikkeli) - Ask for a pre-demolition audit early enough that designers can use the parts - Ask for a separate contract to clear furniture and easy parts before the heavy machines start - Visit Mikkelipuisto to see granite slabs that came from the Tuukkala yard - Read the CityLoops selective demolition guide and the Mikkeli report before you copy the contract How to join The buildings are gone, so there is no live tour. Pankalampi stood at Kiiskinmäenkatu in the 50130 district: a 1976 health centre with a 1992 extension, a 1979 dental clinic, and a 1992 garage, about 9,855 square metres. Tuukkala hospital, empty since 2010, had a 1960 part and a 1970s part. Ahosen Palvelut from Jyväskylä took Pankalampi. Terra Infra from Kouvola took Tuukkala. Building Services ran the contracts. Miksei and Xamk wrote a model contract other cities can reuse. Why it matters in Mikkeli The contract names the piles, and someone checks during the job. At Tuukkala, Metsäsairila recorded 9,019 tonnes, of which more than 8,000 tonnes were concrete and brick, and only 58 tonnes were mixed waste. The city also saved a fire escape from Pankalampi for a new day care, sold the backup power plant, and let a vocational project turn oak boards into a table top and cutting boards at ESEDU. Find more community projects in Mikkeli. Good to know - Why strip the building before the excavators? In Mikkeli, empty public buildings can sit for years. A separate strip does not need a demolition permit, so local firms can start earlier. - Where did special pieces go? A fire escape from Pankalampi went to a new day care. Granite slabs from the Tuukkala yard went to Mikkelipuisto.demolitionsortingconcrete +2
LearnRepair & ReuseNairobiGjenge Makers plastic waste bricksBuilding materials from shredded plastic waste Gjenge Makers (Nairobi, Kenya) turns plastic waste into affordable building materials, shredding and pressing discarded plastic into bricks and pavers that Impacc reports as seven times stronger and 50% lighter than concrete. What you can do - Source pavers or bricks for community paving, school yards, or yard paths - Organise neighbourhood plastic collection drives that feed local recycling processors - Visit or tour the workshop where possible to learn small-scale production lines How to participate - Enquire about products and collection partnerships via the Gjenge Makers portfolio page Why it matters Plastic litter becomes public infrastructure when makerspaces pair collection with honest engineering, strength tested, weight reduced, cost accessible.plasticrecyclingbricks +2
LearnRepair & ReuseBredaFind circular demolition salvage in BredaFind circular demolition salvage in Breda In Breda, you can follow a circular demolition that saved concrete, steel, and bricks from a 23,000 square metre hall at Prinsenhil. The parts came off the old building in a way that lets a new hall, a path, or a home renovation use them again. What you can do in Breda - Read how the hall at Prinsenhil was taken apart, then ask a builder to copy those steps (WDP circular demolition story) - Look for salvaged beams, roof panels, insulation, clinker, and steel from this kind of job - Ask for the old concrete floor to stay on site as a new base or a site road - Ask the city to write selective taking-apart into the next demolition tender - If you renovate, ask for used parts before you order new ones How to join This is a company practice, not an open workshop. WDP and the demolition firm Gubbels described the job in February 2023. The first phase was about 90 percent done. A new building on that part was expected by the end of that year. A second taking-apart was due in early 2024, with a new building later that year. Each taking-apart was expected to last eight to nine weeks. Do not walk onto a live site. Check the WDP page for what the firms say now about salvage sales. Why it matters in Breda A neighbour who renovates can use a beam or a brick that already exists. On this job the concrete floor stayed on the ground as a base and as a road, so it did not have to leave by truck. Stone was planned for green noise walls along walking and training paths, which gives plants and birds a place beside the path. Find more community projects in Breda. Good to know - What is circular demolition in Breda? Crews unscrew and sort the hall so materials stay useful. The old habit was to smash everything. This way takes more time, and a crew sometimes needs to learn the new steps. - Can I buy the old parts? Gubbels sold most parts to people who renovate. Regular buyers saw the list first. Leftovers were offered on Marktplaats.demolitionsalvagebricks +2
