Last Monday we had the opportunity to attend the visit and conference on reuse in construction organized by AUS and URRU (Urban Resources). During the session we learned about inspiring reuse experiences in Portugal, with NADA NOVO, and in the Netherlands with SUPERUSE, demonstrating that another way of building is possible. Reuse needs to be considered from the initial phases of the projects: identifying and planning the available resources, having banks of materials that quickly connect supply and demand, and having professionals willing to rethink the way of designing and building.
However, the main reflection of the day was that, today, promoting reuse projects requires a large dose of motivation and perseverance to overcome barriers such as regulatory limitations, difficulties associated with insurance and guarantees, and the lack of technical and economic resources.
Even so, meetings like this remind us that the transition towards more circular construction is already underway and that more and more professionals are willing to lead the change.