THE CONSTRUCTION INTERVIEW
The legacy of construction materials A circular economy necessitates thinking about the future of materials as secondary raw materials, rather than as waste once they are no longer of use.
“ There’ s already a lot of thinking about how we can keep certain materials in the loop,” says Mathias.
From rubble to steel, there is opportunity for reusing and recycling in construction.
“ I think when it comes to these things, whatever has a value as secondary raw materials is going to be recycled,” he adds. Finding opportunities for reusing and recycling will require knowledge of the materials used in a construction project, as Mathias highlights:“ If you have a building which will stand there for decades, you have to think,‘ Will the people in some decades still know what I have put into this building? Is there documentation?’”
With the effects of climate change and the energy transition a global focus, replacing energy-intensive materials with energy-efficient ones is also crucial.
“ If you use a lot of concrete, it has quite a big footprint on climate change and energy consumption,” says Mathias.“ This means considering both embodied
26 October 2026