Evert Schut

The case for a Circular viaduct

Oktober 29 2019

1

Rijkswaterstaat general presentation 24 november 2019

Rijkswaterstaatprovides infrastructure for:

• protection against flooding (50% lies below sea level)• sufficient clean water• a smooth and safe transport by road and water

• In 2030 Rijkswaterstaat has embedded circular principles in allrelevant work processes

• National ambition: 50% less use of primary resources in 2030

• The Rijkswaterstaat ‘Impulse programme circular economy’ is developed to deliver answers on how to achieve these ambitions.

3

Rijkswaterstaat circular ambitions (2016)

• Invitation from construction company to help design a circularviaduct– Together with the client, the concrete producer and knowledge institutes– No payment of anything from any one to any one else

• Why a viaduct?– Lot of concrete, substantial environmental impact– Repeatability: many need to be replaced in the next 10 years

• A choice for a modular design– Derived from the ‘R’ design principles of the Ellen Mac Arthur foundation

4

Circular viaduct

• In januari 2019, in use as a temporary bridge at a construction site

• Using modular concrete blocksre-enforced in in 2 directions bysteel bars

• Blocks were designed for 200 years of use

• Deconstruction only 9 monthslater

• Reconstruction next year

5

The actual build

• Agreement on how to measurecircularity is important:– R principles are useful design

principles but not useful formeasuring impact

– LCA methodology does measureimpact but: Is not quite clear about measuring

several use cycles over 200 years Gives us no insight in value retention Tells us little about the long term

impact on resource stocks

6

What have we learnt so far 1?

• We need a materials passport to remember:– Which materials were used to make the modular blocks– The state of degradation of materials– How to maintain and repair materials– How to deconstruct/ reconstruct elements

• We need to harmonise material passport systems– Who needs which information and when? – Definitions/ terminology/ systems engineering– Links to existing information models like BIM

• We need to make sure we retain information over long periods of time

7

What have we learnt so far 2?

• We need to develop a lot of circular and sustainable technology• We need to speed up research for and standardisation of new

circular technology

8

What have we learnt so far 3?

• Integrated measurement of circularity in terms of: – Environmental impact of resource use (LCA)– Sustainable use of resources– Maintaining value (functional, material and economic)

• Harmonising circular datasystems for material passports• Speed up standardisation for sustainable / circular technology

In the Netherlands these issues have become a work in progress at NEN/ Platform CB’23.

9

Challenges for CEN/ Cenelec