For decades, construction has followed a largely linear model: build, use, demolish, replace.
As the industry looks for ways to reduce embodied carbon and use resources more efficiently, a new question is emerging: what if structural elements could be recovered and reused instead?
The concept challenges the industry’s traditional approach: that buildings are designed for a single lifecycle. Instead, it asks how structures can remain valuable long after their first use.
Rethink. Reframe. Reuse.
DELTABEAM® Green Reuse
Designing today's buildings for tomorrow's reuse
Circular construction is often associated with what happens at the end of a building's life. In reality, the opportunity is created much earlier, at the design stage.
DELTABEAM® Green Reuse was developed around this idea. It offers an approach that enables composite beams to be dismantled and reused in future projects, helping preserve the value already embedded in structural steel while supporting the transition toward circular construction.
DELTABEAM® Green Reuse combines proven slim floor technology with reusable structural connections, without compromising its performance or safety. Built with over 90% recycled steel and designed for disassembly, it supports both lower emissions and long-term value creation.
"Reuse is the natural state of things. Nature doesn't waste; it transforms."
Ján Bujňák, Vice President of Product Development, Peikko Group
Learn more about DELTABEAM® Green Reuse
From Mindset to Reality
Turning circular thinking into practical construction
The story behind DELTABEAM® Green Reuse did not begin with a product. It began with a question: how can the construction industry continue creating value while using fewer resources? The idea gradually evolved into testing, development, and ultimately a practical solution designed for disassembly and reuse.
"We were talking about these things long before the circular economy became a mainstream topic."
Jaakko Yrjölä, Senior Manager, Peikko Group
Turning the idea into reality required collaboration. Together with Consolis VBI, Peikko launched a pilot project to demonstrate that structural reuse can work in practice. The simple yet ambitious goal was to design, build, disassemble, and reassemble a real structural frame and prove that circularity can extend to the structural core of a building.
"We didn't want another study; we wanted a concrete result to show it was doable, even simple."
Wim Zwaan, Managing Director, Peikko Benelux B.V.
The pilot demonstrated that design for disassembly is no longer only a theory. It can be applied in real projects using existing technologies and without compromising performance.
"The pilot showed that design for reassembly can be applied without additional costs, and that makes all the difference."
Ronald Klein-Holte, Research and Development Manager, Consolis VBI
Read the Rethinkers stories and discover more.
Peikko Rethinkers: Bolting the future together | Peikko Group
This month's key insight
The future of circular construction depends less on what happens during demolition and more on what happens during design. Structures can only be reused tomorrow if they are designed for reuse today.
Curious to know more about our other solutions for circularity and Design for Disassembly? Discover more at Circular and sustainable solutions | Peikko Group
What's coming up next?
Understanding EPDs: What do they really tell us?
When comparing construction products, environmental claims alone are no longer enough. More and more designers, contractors, and project owners rely on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to understand the actual environmental impact of building materials.
But what exactly is an EPD, and why does it matter? In our next issue, we explore how EPDs help bring transparency to construction, support informed design decisions, and provide reliable data for assessing a building's carbon footprint.
Can better data lead to better building decisions?
Building with Less is Peikko's monthly look at smarter structural solutions for a sustainable built environment.
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