Munich,
Germany
Munich aims to recover and dismantle reusable building components from demolition projects and reintegrate them into new construction, thereby conserving resources, reducing emissions, and closing material loops.
Context
The City of Munich covers an area of 310 km² and has a population of approximately 1.6 million. Around 5.6 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste (CDW) are generated annually from about 1,100 construction projects with a total investment volume of €2.5 billion. These projects require roughly 85,000 tonnes of new building materials per year. While the city manages around 3,000 buildings, a city-wide structure to support circular construction does not yet exist.
1.6 M
Population
310 km2
Area
5.6 mto
CDW/a Data
1100
Construction projects
Metropolitan region
Upscaling
Munich is currently developing a Circular Construction Hub (CCH) – a key initiative to promote a circular economy in the construction sector.
An open CCH – for everyone
The planned Circular Construction Hub is not limited to public-sector actors. It will be open to private developers, architects, planners, contractors, project managers, and other stakeholders interested in circular building practices. The CCH is expected to be located at a central, well-connected site and offer up to 2,000 m² of space functioning as a physical material bank, complemented by a digital marketplace for used components. To overcome space constraints within the city, temporary, project-based material hubs are also planned at larger demolition or construction sites. These on-site hubs will support efficient logistics and the recovery of reusable building elements at scale.
Potential for reuse
There is already significant potential for reusing various building components – including partition walls, doors, windows, sanitary fixtures, stone slabs, bricks, steel parts, lighting elements, wood products, and technical equipment. While some materials can be reused directly, others require cleaning, testing, or refurbishment. The CCH aims to establish the necessary infrastructure to systematically unlock this potential.
Next steps
An interdisciplinary project team is currently working on a fundable concept that will be developed over the coming years and prepared for implementation. The long-term goal is to establish a robust system in Munich and the surrounding region for the dismantling, sorting, storage, processing, and reuse of construction materials.
Contact:circofin [at] muenchen [dot] de (circofin[at]muenchen[dot]de)
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