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  4. Concrete rubble as a new construction material: Panorama of applications to known structural typologies
 
conference paper

Concrete rubble as a new construction material: Panorama of applications to known structural typologies

Grangeot, Maxence  
•
Parascho, Stefana  
•
Fivet, Corentin  
September 29, 2024
Proceedings of the IASS 2024 Symposium. Redefining the Art of Structural Design
IASS Symposium 2024 - Redefining the Art of Structural Design

Concrete rubble is among the most wasted materials worldwide. In this paper, we present a panorama of the upcycling potential of disused concrete rubble as construction material for new low-carbon structures. We identify 15 existing structural applications of concrete rubble reuse, 6 of which are currently supported with full-scale built demonstrators. Through analysis of 10 site visits and 19 interviews, we identify 7 opportunities (e.g., related to cheapness, sustainability, and localness) and 9 limitations (e.g., related to disparity and uncertainty) linked to this untapped material, and we compare them to those of stone and newly-produced concrete. Possible processing and assembly strategies specific to concrete rubble pieces are also documented. An analysis of the applicability of concrete rubble to 19 structural typologies highlights solutions that are technically possible, structurally relevant, and sustainably convenient. The analysis coupled with the review of full-scale precedents highlight the diversity and extent of remaining solutions to be explored. Wall and vault applications are detailed through structural design explorations encompassing 185 processing strategies and functional requirements. The authors identify foundations and retaining walls as environmentally convenient applications, surface-active compression structures as structurally relevant applications; and highlight readily implementable solutions, such as gabions walls.

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Type
conference paper
Author(s)
Grangeot, Maxence  

EPFL

Parascho, Stefana  

EPFL

Fivet, Corentin  

EPFL

Date Issued

2024-09-29

Publisher

IASS

Published in
Proceedings of the IASS 2024 Symposium. Redefining the Art of Structural Design
Series title/Series vol.

Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia

ISSN (of the series)

2518-6582

Subjects

concrete rubble

•

debris

•

demolition

•

typologies

•

demonstrators

•

construction

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
SXL  
CRCL  
Event nameEvent acronymEvent placeEvent date
IASS Symposium 2024 - Redefining the Art of Structural Design

IASS 2024

Zürich, Switzerland

2024-08-26 - 2024-08-30

Available on Infoscience
August 30, 2024
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/240926
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