ETH students reuse materials from existing buildings

(CONNECT) Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) are working on the reuse of old building materials, according to a press release. In a project-based interdisciplinary course developed by Prof. Dr. Catherine De Wolf, prospective engineering students from fields such as architecture or computer science are looking for ways to recycle in the construction industry in order to save resources and use materials for longer.

They apply their knowledge during construction site visits, workshops or in the workshop. ETH researchers spend around 70 percent of their time in the field. "They learn how to carefully remove materials from existing buildings, document them digitally, integrate them into new designs and finally implement them," it says. The experience of dismantling a building and reusing this demolition material, which would otherwise end up in landfill, for new construction processes demonstrates "how sustainable construction methods can be implemented in practice". In the Digital Creativity for Circular Construction course, teams work on feasible projects for external clients and users. Laser scanning, artificial intelligence and augmented reality are used to capture the building fabric.

The students' works were exhibited at the Kunsthalle Zürich, the Art Genève art fair and the Architecture Biennale in Venice and were used by external clients and users. ce/heg