A world first for circular construction
Just outside Paris, in Gennevilliers, this groundbreaking social housing complex has made history as the world’s first building made from fully recycled concrete. The project, called “Recygénie,” was built in partnership with Seqens and used a custom concrete made with ECOCycle®, Holcim’s circularity endorser.
The concrete used in the project was made exclusively with aggregates from recycled construction demolition materials, and using recycled wastewater and rainwater.
Recygénie sets a new benchmark for circular construction and decarbonization in the building industry, while helping the Paris region meet its housing goals.
Setting new standards for the future
Amid rising global population growth and urbanization, circular solutions are essential to minimize the environmental impact of construction and improve living standards for all.
Recygénie serves as a model for sustainable construction in areas with growing urban housing needs, showing that new housing and environmental considerations can go hand in hand.
Recygénie’s 100% recycled concrete, which was made possible by Holcim’s ECOCycle®, demonstrates the future of circular construction.
A new level of circularity
Recygénie is the first building in the world to use fully recycled aggregates, clinker and water thanks to Holcim’s ECOCycle® technology. This enabled the project to conserve 6,000 tons of natural resources that would have otherwise been needed as aggregates.
The circular solutions deployed for this project significantly reduced its carbon footprint thanks to the lower level of embodied carbon in the building materials. The building process also employed climate-resilient best practices, ensuring this housing complex will be able to weather a changing future.
A pioneering partnership
The cutting-edge nature of this project is setting new standards for what is possible in circular construction.
Since existing French building standards limited the amount of recycled material in new construction, Holcim worked with the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB) on a special monitoring program. CSTB, the French national organization for R&D in the construction industry, validated each step of the process to ensure compliance with high technical and environmental standards. This partnership made the use of this first-of-its-kind concrete possible.
Building new from old
ECOCycle®, Holcim’s circularity endorser, closes the material loop in construction by turning construction demolition materials into new building solutions.
Products with ECOCycle® inside contain a minimum of 10% recycled construction demolition materials. This can be up to 100% – like the concrete used for Recygénie – without ever compromising on quality or performance.
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