Seminar RFA Built Environment

The seminar will cover the principles of circular economy and sustainability in the construction sector, including recycling and upcycling of concrete and soil and reuse of construction timber and carbon fibers.

Topic

The construction sector is one of the major consumers of raw materials and is responsible for a generation of the largest waste stream globally. These aspects are also strongly related to the high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The principles of circular economy and sustainability offer a chance for reducing these burdens to the environment.

In this seminar we will present and discuss recent achievements in research and application projects devoted to circularity in the construction sector. In particular, we will address how the most voluminous waste streams, concrete and soil, can not only be recycled, but also offer additional value along the way. We will also present technologies that enable reuse of wood in timber structures or reuse of advanced engineering materials – carbon fibers.

Target audience

Stakeholders, practitioners and scientists from the sectors of construction, buildings and infrastructure, waste management and recycling, energy, environment, sustainability.

The seminar will be held on 05 November 2024 at 15:30 – 20:00 at the Empa-Akademie in Dübendorf. There is also a possibility to visit NEST directly before the seminar (limited number of places).

Program:

• 14:30 – 15:30    NEST Visit (optional): SPRINT and Urban Mining Units, 20 places available.
• 15:30 – 16:00    Welcome coffee
• 16:00 – 16:15    Intro by Dr. Peter Richner, Empa, Department Engineering Sciences
• 16:00 – 16:45     Keynote lecture by Dr. Bastien Girod, ETHZ, National Council
• 16:45 – 18:40    Presentations:
• Dr. Andreas Leemann (Empa): CO2 storage in recycled concrete aggregates
• Dr. Ellina Bernard (Empa): Upcycling of excavation earth into building materials
• Prof. Giovanni Terrasi (Empa and Uni Edinburgh): Reuse of CFRP wires in prestressing cables of a bridge
• Dr. René Steiger (Empa): Reuse of wood products in timber structures
• 18:40 – 20:00    Concluding remarks and an Apéro

Note

If you are interested in the NEST Visit, you must select a ticket for both categories.

Click here to register: https://www.ticketino.com/de/Event/detail/193031