Potential for Material Recovery - A Qualitative Analysis of Building Stock Resources: A Qualitative Analysis of Building Stock Resources
Translated title
Potential for Material Recovery - A Qualitative Analysis of Building Stock Resources
Author
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-01-07
Pages
70
Abstract
This thesis assesses the material recovery potential of Danish single-family houses constructed between 1950 and 2000. The study focuses on identifying materials present in typical building components and evaluating their potential relevance for re- covery at the end of a building’s life. The analysis is based on a component-level approach, where commonly used materi- als are first identified within representative building components and subsequently ag- gregated into prototype buildings for five construction periods. Material recovery po- tential is evaluated using a qualitative scor- ing framework. The environmental rele- vance of selected materials is assessed us- ing life cycle impact data covering produc- tion (A1–A3), end-of-life (C1–C4), and po- tential benefits beyond the system bound- ary (Module D), based on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). The results show differences in material recovery potential and environmental rel- evance across construction periods and building components. The combined as- sessment supports the prioritization of ma- terials where recovery strategies are most likely to be environmentally meaningful in a future circular context.
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