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
Mohamed, Samaa Aly
Term
4. Term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-01-07
Pages
70
Abstract
Afhandlingen vurderer potentialet for at genvinde materialer fra danske enfamiliehuse opført i perioden 1950–2000. Den kortlægger, hvilke materialer der findes i typiske bygningsdele, og vurderer, hvor relevante de er at genvinde ved bygningens endte levetid. Studiet arbejder på komponentniveau: Først identificeres ofte anvendte materialer i repræsentative bygningsdele, og derefter samles de i prototypehuse for fem byggeperioder. Genvindingspotentialet bedømmes med et kvalitativt scoringssystem (en struktureret vurdering frem for præcise målinger). Den miljømæssige relevans af udvalgte materialer vurderes med livscyklusdata fra miljøvaredeklarationer (EPD’er), der dækker produktion (moduler A1–A3), endt levetid (C1–C4) og mulige gevinster uden for systemgrænsen (modul D). Resultaterne viser, at både genvindingspotentiale og miljørelevans varierer mellem byggeperioder og bygningsdele. Samlet peger vurderingerne på, hvilke materialer der bør prioriteres til genvinding for at give meningsfulde miljøgevinster i en fremtidig cirkulær økonomi.
This thesis assesses how much material can be recovered from Danish single-family houses built between 1950 and 2000. It maps which materials occur in typical building components and judges how relevant they are to recover at the end of a building’s life. The study uses a component-level approach: first it identifies commonly used materials in representative components, then it combines them into prototype houses for five construction periods. Recovery potential is rated with a qualitative scoring framework (a structured rating rather than exact measurements). The environmental relevance of selected materials is evaluated with life cycle impact data from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), covering production (Modules A1–A3), end-of-life (C1–C4), and potential benefits beyond the system boundary (Module D). The results show that both recovery potential and environmental relevance vary across construction periods and components. Taken together, the assessments highlight which materials should be prioritized for recovery to deliver meaningful environmental benefits in a future circular economy.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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