📋 Tender Overview
Today we are publishing the English version of the report Circular Construction: Preserving Building Stock, Closing Loops. The original German version was handed over to the German Ministers for Environment and for Construction earlier this year. Oct 20, 2026, 3:55:41 PM Katrin Rautter , Sachverstandigenrat fur Umweltfragen Advancing climate protection in the building sector, promoting the responsible use of resources and creating affordable housing - these are ambitious policy objectives. However, progress towards implementing them is not happening quickly enough. In the report Circular Construction: Preserving Building Stock, Closing Loops the SRU sets out recommendations for circular construction and the preservation of existing buildings. These aim to strengthen climate and environmental protection, make secondary construction products more attractive and stimulate new business models.Circular construction means reusing and recycling construction products, carrying out building works in a way that facilitates repairs, and documenting the building fabric digitally wherever possible. Rather than demolishing buildings and constructing new ones - a process that is resource-intensive and generates high emissions - the existing building stock should be preserved wherever possible and flexibly adapted to housing needs. Construction products should be consistently kept within the circular economy. Preserving the existing building stock means less new land is sealed off and fewer primary raw materials are consumed - an important contribution in times of scarce resources and growing conflicts over land use. Materials free from harmful substances facilitate reuse and directly benefit the health of the occupants.Circular construction and renovation can already be more cost-effective than conventional methods, particularly when the entire life cycle of buildings is taken into account. Furthermore, it generates economic opportunities, for example through new business models in the areas of services, reuse and demolition. In this way, circular construction combines environmental responsibility with long-term profitability. Last but not least, circular construction supports the preservation of existing stock and revives long-established, and in some cases forgotten, practices of building culture.However, there are still obstacles standing in the way of widespread implementation. Demolition, or the removal and replacement of existing buildings with new ones, is still frequently regarded as the norm, whilst the further development of existing buildings are perceived as complicated or economically disadvantageous. Furthermore, existing legislation complicates the reuse of construction products. At present, what is needed above all is a pioneering spirit and a willingness to take risks in order to establish new business models and make the necessary investments.The SRU has identified five areas of focus to help put circular construction into practice:1. Digitalisation - Establishing standardsUniform, binding standards for digital documentation structures for buildings throughout their entire life cycle significantly facilitate circular construction. Freely accessible, compatible software for building resource passports should be established and made widely available. This will ensure transparency regarding the materials used in construction, their quality and their potential for reuse. This simplifies maintenance, controlled deconstruction, reuse and recycling.2. Skills development - Imparting knowledgeExpertise in circular construction must be systematically embedded in initial and continuing education. Principles of circular planning, construction and controlled deconstrcution should be firmly integrated into the curricula for vocational training in the building trades and for degree programmes in construction. In addition, practical further training programmes are needed for planners, architects, tradespeople, financial service providers and building owners. A targeted training initiative within public administration will strengthen the capacity to effectively implement circular approaches in planning permission, funding and procurement processes. Dialogue forums should be continued.3. Funding - creating incentivesPublic funding schemes must be geared more towards the preservation of building stock and circular construction. Federal funding programmes should provide incentives for circular construction measures. One funding criterion could, for example, be a mandatory life-cycle cost analysis. Economic incentives such as a tax on primary building materials or targeted reductions in VAT for reclaimed or recycled construction products can help to ensure that environmental benefits also yield economic benefits and to break down market barriers.4. Closing loops - legal governanceA functioning building materials cycle requires a clear and sustainable legal framework. Secondary and primary construction products should be treated equally, provided their quality and safety are verified. Extended producer responsibility must be consistently extended to construction products in order to strengthen take-back, reuse and recycling structures. Furthermore, a legally certain end to waste status is needed for suitable secondary building materials to facilitate their use in construction.5. Being a role model - the public sector as a driving forceThe public sector should take a leading role in circular construction. Government building projects can boost demand for recycled building materials and give them preference where they are equivalent in terms of building physics and technical performance. In tendering procedures, the climate impact of bids should be systematically taken into account, for example through CO2 shadow prices. Furthermore, it is important to implement European requirements such as the EU Buildings Directive at an early stage and proactively - for example, by introducing CO2 limits for global warmi
