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Circular house in a steel‐hybrid lightweight construction The circular house in Zurich‐Oerlikon replaces two existing, approx. 100‐year‐old residential buildings, enlarges their surface area and provides living space for more people. Due to the increasing scarcity of resources and the efforts to reduce emissions, new concepts are needed to meet these requirements in the construction industry. The project, realised in a steel composite hybrid construction, allows this approach due to its montierability and demountability. The structure was awarded the Prix Acier by the Swiss Center for Steel Construction (SZS) in 2023 and will be presented in more detail at this point. In addition to the architectural aspects, particular challenges of the connections and fire protection will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable hybrid system made of folded sheet steel and cement‐free concrete In order to address sustainability issues in the construction sector, construction systems that are lower in emissions, durable, and suitable for circular reuse and recycling must be employed. This can be achieved through open and adaptive systems which focus on design for disassembly to enable future adaptations and reuse. In Switzerland, where most residential buildings are constructed from concrete and masonry, many buildings are demolished due to their incompatibility with current requirements. This paper introduces an innovative steel‐hybrid construction system for residential buildings, combining adaptability and circular design with performance in ambient temperature and fire conditions. The system uses cold‐formed, open steel profiles in combination with a cement‐free concrete (commercially known as Cleancrete), which fills the cross‐sectional chambers of the steel profiles, stiffening them against deformation and contributing to fire protection. Although Cleancrete has minimal impact on the load‐bearing capacity under ambient‐temperature conditions, using a material with lower CO2 emissions and reducing overall steel consumption results in a favorable environmental balance compared to other construction methods. A fire test on a 3.3‐m‐high column, supported by numerical simulations, also demonstrated that the system can be used in fire conditions for multi‐story buildings with up to five floors without additional precautions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of European design regulations for re‐used steel components Until steel production becomes thoroughly CO2‐neutral, it is important to explore and expand alternative ways of constructing climate‐neutral buildings with steel. This includes, in contrast to recycling and retrofitting of old steel structures, the re‐use of steel components. While some European countries already trade and regularly utilize used steel components, this is not yet the case in Germany. The reason for this is the lack of regulations, not only on the technical and scientific side but also in terms of regulation. There are no guidelines for a market with traded construction products in general. Re‐using steel components is particularly beneficial because they are easy to dismantle, store, and flexible for re‐use. In principle, there is no obstacle to the technical regulation of used steel components in a new building context. Currently, an additional annex is being developed in EN 1990‐2 for demolition and processing. For the design of re‐used steel components, which is the focus of the article discussing conditions, concepts, and procedures, an ad‐hoc group has recently been formed in CEN/TC250/SC3, developing proposals for additional design rules. This article also addresses the connection of these rules to EN 1990‐2, which incorporates the specifications of the current CEN/TS 17440. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Keeping it up" is out of the question – steel construction production must become climate‐neutral Owners of Medium‐sized steel construction companies and employers also have a personal responsibility to position their companies and their industry in a sustainable manner in the interests of future generations. A personal contribution explains how the entrepreneur Bernhard Hahner acts within the six areas of action worked out for his company in order to continuously come closer to the goal of "climate‐neutral steel construction". The article examines the possibilities of influencing suppliers and service providers, presents the development of own sustainable steel construction products and, in the area of "steel construction production", explains changes and improvements to buildings and systems that have already been implemented and are planned. Another topic is the cooperation with customers who both demand sustainable production and who can optimize projects before the start of production through intensive cooperation in the planning phase. Trends such as urban mining or building information modeling are also discussed. Conclusion of the current situation: far‐reaching changes are unavoidable, but they are also realistically feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The destructive impact of the construction industry on the planet and its inhabitants is no longer in question. Global warming, waste management, depletion of natural resources, air and soil pollution are all issues that must be urgently addressed. They are also challenging the current economy, whose growth is directly correlated to the extraction of raw materials, the manufacture of new products and, ultimately, to their increased consumption. Besides, the constant transformation of the built environment and infrastructure of a territory is a necessary lever for sustainable development and for guaranteeing the well‐being of all. Faced with this situation, an emerging circular strategy could be salutary: component reuse, which makes it possible to build new assemblies without manufacturing new materials. Steel, if assembled with reversible means, is a particularly well‐suited material for reuse. But are the stakeholders ready to adopt new business models? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy in steel and lightweight metal construction The implementation of the principles of the circular economy in the construction sector has a major impact on global climate policy goals and has great potential to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacture of building products and the dependence on non‐renewable natural resources. This paper provides an overview of different strategies for implementing sustainability and the circular economy in general and in relation to construction. In addition, various examples and initiatives are described that deal with the implementation of these strategies in steel and lightweight metal construction. In particular, these are resource efficiency, reuse and refurbishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource and emission efficiency in bridge construction using the example of the Leverkusen campus bridge The construction industry is a major contributor to the global emissions of climate‐affecting CO2. Solutions on the track to carbon‐neutral construction and operation can only be achieved through a holistic approach that includes the use of resources. The approach spans from questions about the necessity and size of a building (build less), through a planned re‐use of components and the reduction of material in the design process (build clever), to the selection of materials based on their specific grey emissions (build efficiently) in a tight circulation system (minimise waste). A uniform assessment of the efficiency of resources and emissions for bridge structures is currently not possible due to the lack of internationally coordinated regulations. Using the example of the Campusbrücke in Opladen, Leverkusen, a footbridge built in 2013, the paper explores the different practical approaches that have contributed to a reduction of emissions and used resources. Using a Life Cycle Analysis method (LCA), the selected structure is compared to an alternative design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]