The City of Vaasa is piloting the reuse of bricks in a construction project to promote the circular economy

The City of Vaasa has launched a circular economy pilot project, aiming to reuse façade bricks in another city construction project. The project explores, using data collected for a thesis, how demolished bricks can be reused and how the process can be further developed. The aim of the pilot is to promote sustainable construction in the city and reduce the carbon footprint of building projects.

A first trial of its kind in Vaasa

The pilot trial, conducted as part of the renovation of Variska School, is the first of its kind in Vaasa. Building and the construction sector contribute to about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Circular economy solutions can significantly help reduce local construction emissions and the creation of unnecessary material waste.

– The idea for the project originated within our department. We have experts in circular economy in construction, and they started thinking how we could further develop this mindset, says Teemu Ranta, Project Manager for Vaasa Premises Management Office.

The façade bricks, to be used in the renovation of Variska School, come from the outer walls of the old Teeriniemi daycare centre, which was demolished in 2024. The pilot began with the simultaneous tendering process for the demolition of the Teeriniemi daycare centre and the planning of the Variska School renovation project.

–  Reusing bricks as a building material has only been piloted in a few projects across Finland. We began developing the idea further, and a student working on a thesis also joined the project to collect valuable data, Ranta explains.

Circular economy in construction enables significant emissions reductions

The façade bricks from Teeriniemi are estimated to cover approximately 1,000 m², which corresponds to roughly 54,000 bricks. A realistic estimate suggests that 40–60% of the bricks can be removed intact for reuse, which amounts to about 21,000–32,000 bricks. The estimated reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is 13.3–19.9 tCO₂e, making the project significant from an environmental perspective.

A common method of reusing bricks is to crush them into rubble for use in substructure work in, for example, road and street construction. Reusing building materials for their original purpose is often the most climate-friendly solution in terms of emissions. From an environmental perspective, producing new crushed aggregate generates 36 times fewer emissions than, for example, manufacturing red bricks.

– The City of Vaasa Premises Management Office generally strives to follow the principles of circular economy thinking in construction. For example, conducting studies on the reuse of materials from demolition sites can lead to significant savings in emissions and material waste, Ranta explains.

Cleaning is mostly done manually

The project has now reached the stage where the bricks are being cleaned and prepared for transport. During the cleaning phase, bricks that have come off in blocks are separated using a handheld power chisel, and individual bricks are cleaned. This phase is largely manual and cannot be easily mechanised.

From a cost perspective, manual work, side processes, and storage incur additional expenses, but from a circular economy standpoint, the process offers significant environmental savings. The idea of the project is to gather experiences and data, which can be used to further develop the process in the future. The final results of the pilot trial will be available in late spring, by which time we will have more information, Ranta summarises.

In terms of the timeline, the pilot trial, along with the thesis data, will be completed by May 2025. After this, during the construction phase of Variska Comprehensive School, which will begin sometime in 2026 and 2027, the façade bricks will be reinstalled in their new location.