PREUSE (Interreg NWE)

Rotor is leading a new Europe-funded project as part of the Interreg NWE programme: PREUSE, which stands for Public Responses to Enable the Use of Salvaged building Elements.

Despite the commitment of public authorities to adopt circular practices in public construction works, organising the reclamation and reuse of building materials remains a challenge. Tackling it calls to rethink the current economic system and the value chains on which it relies.

The PREUSE project aims at supporting local and regional public authorities to improve the management of their material resources and implement systemic solutions to reclaim and reuse building materials more intensively.

These solutions include (1) a global strategy to set up local and regional reuse centres which will be translated into contextual actions plans and pilot projects, (2) a joint effort to increase the capacity of the construction industry to uptake reuse (incl. through a joint training scheme and pilot actions). As a result, public authorities, contracting authorities, actors of the construction industry and local communities will gain access to tangible and reproducible solutions to foster the reuse of building materials on their territory.

The approach draws on the close collaboration between local and regional public authorities (envisioned both as policy makers and contracting bodies) and reuse experts to implement, in a direct and operational way, the solutions at stake. The partnership draws on existing solutions (incl. those previously developed by project partners) and of the diversity of more-or-less-advanced initiatives throughout the NWE area to ensure a better dissemination and uptake of promising models and innovative solutions.

The originality of the project lies in its double focus. On hand, it promotes place-based reuse centres as a necessary solution to enable public authorities to reuse more building material on their territory. On the other hand, it embraces a larger approach targeting the actors of the construction industry in general to reach a critical mass and ensure long-term changes.

Details

A project by

Lynn Cailliau, Nicolas Delaunoy, Géraldine Durieux, Gaspard Geerts, Michael Ghyoot, Florence Meessen, Victor Meesters, Arne Vande Capelle, Tom Schoonjans.

In partnership with

LIST, Bellastock, Stad Mechelen, La Fabrique des Quartiers, Municipaly of Wiltz, Greater Paris Metropolis, City of Lorient, City of Utrecht.

Funded by

ERDF through the Interreg North-West Europe Programme: €3,6 million (for a total budget of € 6 million).

With co-funding from

Brussels-Environement (for Rotor's budget share).

Project dates

22 November 2023 - 29 February 2028 (main implementation between March 2024 and 30 November 2027). 

Programme objective

The PREUSE project will contribute to the Interreg NWE Programme priority 3 - Transition towards a place-based circular economy. It aims a the specific objective 2.6 - Promoting the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy.