"From its authentic façade, you would not expect that Pangaea’s internal structure is highly adaptable to our changing needs. "

"Together with my family, I live in an apartment in Pangaea Palace, a beautiful renaissance building in the heart of Reburg. From its authentic façade, you would not expect that Pangaea’s internal structure is highly adaptable to our changing needs. My elderly father used to have his own studio attached to our apartment. Last year, he moved to HealthyHill, a care centre, so we decided to remove the studio from our apartment. Thanks to its reversible design we were able to do most of the deconstruction ourselves with some technical support from our building stock manager Facilitoutatis. This service company supported us with the planning and execution of the reassembling works and took over the burden of safety and maintenance responsibilities. The empty space was reorganised and rented out to new residents. Spare parts were collected by Urban Metabolism Ltd and used for other building applications within Reburg."

"I have recently started my job as a strategic planner at ResourCycle, a recycling company located at the Urban Livers. As we are planning to build our lives in Reburg, we have chosen to buy the basic outline of our apartment in Pangaea Palace. For my father’s former studio we used to have a use-contract with Facilitoutatis, the company that manages residential buildings in our neighbourhood. The leasing arrangement made it affordable for us as we did not have to bear the full investment costs related to this home extension that we knew would be only temporary. We just paid for the use of these features during the time that we actually needed them."

"By simply rearranging internal walls or inserting plug-and-play modules, we can create or reshape spaces in a fast and effective way, without any demolition works."

"The advantage of the old renaissance building was that it consisted of spacious rooms that offered many possibilities for repurposing. To reorganize Pangaea Palace into separate, yet multi-purpose units, we used an ‘open building system’, consisting of a set of standardised, compatible building components and connections, that can easily be assembled and disassembled. Smart use of such a system results in time savings in both the design and construction phase. By simply rearranging internal walls or inserting plug-and-play modules, we can create or reshape spaces in a fast and effective way, without any demolition works. This is made possible thanks to the use of dry connections, such as bolts and screws. As a consequence, most of the reshaping can be done by the residents themselves. For example, dwelling units can temporarily be extended with additional bedrooms when housing a young family, or reduced in size when its inhabitants grow older and children move out."

"The tailorable building design gives us the opportunity to maximise our building occupancy rates at all times."

"We manage a portfolio of modular and reversible buildings in Reburg. The buildings that are part of our own building stock, we let to families and companies. Their reversible and modular design allows us to easily repurpose buildings, but also unit sizes and interiors can easily be adapted to market needs. To our residents we offer support in the tailoring of buildings to their needs. The tailorable building design gives us the opportunity to maximise our building occupancy rates at all times. In addition to the renting market, we also do the management of privately owned buildings, for example by offering creative solutions to alter their configurations.

Pangaea Palace, for example, is a block of family owned apartments. Still, it is in constant evolution. When residents want to change their apartment configuration, we work out the assembly plan with them. We also have a technical team of building assemblers that can perform the actual works, or residents can choose for a do-it-yourself approach. Consequently, it is important to keep track of all past and current configurations in a digital twin of the building. You could compare this to a ‘digital log book’. It keeps track of the transformations of spaces and when components are used again for other functions. Apart from keeping the log book up-to-date with all changes, our building configurators give advice and assist the residents with the spatial layout and execution of retrofit works. We use an internal circular building assessment tool, to assist the building configurators and residents in taking decisions together. Affordability is still a main driver to select the most appropriate dwelling configuration, but environmental awareness and user comfort are equally important for our clients.

We also take care of the general maintenance of Pangaea Palace. In its maintenance-friendly design, all technical ducts and wiring for air-conditioning, heating, water supply and data communication are strategically positioned within the floors and interior walls to be easily accessible for maintenance and replacement. Additionally, as Pangaea Palace is a cognitive building, it keeps track records of the maintenance needs of its different components and reports necessary repair works or replacements. Thank to this, we can prevent structural building problems, avoiding expensive repair when it is already too late."

"All building logs are shared through the city’s digital cadastre, so I can check on the spot if components can be of use in new assemblies in the neighbourhood."

"Urban Metabolism manages building materials and components as a service. As a component manager, I work closely together with building stock managers, such as Rodrigo from Facilitoutatis. During the deconstruction and construction works, there are always spare (or unfit) parts that cannot be directly re-used again on-site. That’s when I come into action. Thanks to the digital logbook of the Pangaea Palace, I can easily identify redundant building parts and decommission them. Because all digital building logs within Reburg are shared through the city’s digital cadastre, I can check on the spot if components – fit for purpose - can be of use in new assemblies in the neighbourhood.

If this is not the case, redundant components are directly transferred to our large storage facility at the Urban Livers. Components are cleaned, checked for quality and stored until they can be used again. As the buildings in Reburg are constructed using open building systems and modular components, it is easy to reuse components from one building in another, minimising the need for compatibility adaptions and costs. As soon as a new application is identified within Reburg or neighbouring cities, the components are remanufactured according to the new needs and transferred."

"The facility manager arranged it so that their flats could be merged together, allowing them to extend their living room and kitchen by rearranging some of the internal walls."

"After a severe operation, my father required more day-to-day medical care and was unable to return to his studio in our home. He now rents a part-time care apartment at HealthyHill Estate, which is close-by. He enjoys being independent, yet supported with some of the difficult tasks, such as cleaning, cooking and washing. My father really feels at home at HealthyHill, with all the other residents, they form a nice community. He even met a new girlfriend on the estate and last summer she moved in with him! The facility manager arranged it so that their flats could be merged together, allowing them to extend their living room and kitchen by rearranging some of the internal walls. The whole move was all done within a day at only limited costs!"

"We have created a digital twin of the entire estate. This virtual environment allows us to check on beforehand which configurations are possible."

"The residential units at HealthyHill are made in such a way that they can be connected and disconnected from each other in a very versatile way according to the needs of its residents. Many residents only stay for a limited time at HealthyHill during their recovery from medical care, which asks for fast and regular configuration changes. Others need more permanent care and stay for a longer time, but their care needs also change. Thanks to the modular-based building system, we can quickly adapt the configuration of HealthyHill to the needs of its inhabitants at any time.

The same applies to the exhibition area in the garden: it can be reorganized in accordance to the needs of the performance or exhibition that is taking place. To do so, we have created a digital twin of the entire estate. This virtual environment allows us to check on beforehand which configurations are possible with certain building systems and how reusable different components and materials are. Based on this reuse potential, we then select the most appropriate building systems."

"The buildings at HealthyHill Estate are so-called ‘cognitive buildings’. This means all units are aware of their own energy performance and their resident’s comfort preferences down to individual rooms."

"At Healthyhill, the first objective is to provide high-quality health care, tailored to the patient’s needs. During the design process of Healthy Hill, a first objective was to guarantee a healthy indoor environment for all residents and care-givers. Therefore, we experimented with innovative carpet tiles that purify the indoor air and antibacterial handrails and door knobs. In order to make the best material choices, we make use of the materials passports of building products and evaluate them with our building assessment tool that automatically identifies the best options in view of the health characteristics we need.

As patients and their respective needs can change relatively fast, HealthyHill often needs to undergo very profound changes in relatively short time periods. We keep track of those changes in the digital log book and make sure that the most recent configuration is uploaded into the facility management system and linked to the city’s digital cadastre. This means we know exactly which dwelling units have which features, such as materials or equipment, and we can organise maintenance activities accordingly.

The buildings at HealthyHill Estate are so-called ‘cognitive buildings’. This means all units are aware of their own energy performance and their resident’s comfort preferences down to individual rooms. They automatically adjust temperature levels accordingly and are able to share energy resources with other facilities in the neighbourhood. Useful room information is provided to the care giving staff, in order to facilitates some services to the residents, such as the delivery of cold drinks on a hot day or the repair of a broken fridge. The cognitive building can alert the care giving staff in case of unusual situations, such as a resident that did not leave his room for the whole day, or unusually high water consumption that could imply leakages."

"The components and modules used in HealthyHill are provided through a leasing system."

"The components and modules used in HealthyHill are provided by Urban Metabolism Ltd. through a leasing system. At the request of Facilitoutatis, we have taken special care to supply non-toxic, healthy materials, for the construction of the buildings at HealthyHill Estate. Many of these materials are bio-based and some materials even have a positive health effect on their surroundings, as they are capable of purifying air, or slowly releasing beneficial aromas and essences into the in-house air. In this way, the buildings of HealthyHill Estate actively contribute to their residents’ health, well-being and recovery.

As the building units are often rearranged and reassembled, many components and parts are reused over and over again, limiting the need for new materials and avoiding the costs related. Therefore, it is crucial that all components and materials come with a passport which lists all relevant information on their substances, their use and their history but also guidelines on their recovery and reuse potential. With this information Urban Metabolism Ltd can decide at any time how to handle the components in the best possible way, or send them to ResourCycle for recycling into raw materials."

"In holiday periods, the EduPlay centre is transformed into a holiday and leisure centre with holiday homes, a hotel and activity areas."

"Thanks to the reversible design, transformation, repair and refurbishment costs are quite low, as building components can easily be repaired or replaced without extensive deconstruction works. When the old school buildings were replaced by the EduPlay centre and its transformable setup, we consulted a circular business consultant to design an investment plan. Through a smart combination of investments in core infrastructure and leasing of building components, we could limit the investment costs in the initial building phase.

In holiday periods, the EduPlay centre is transformed into a holiday and leisure centre with holiday homes, a hotel and activity areas. In this way, the central location within Reburg city centre is used to its full potential year-round. The collaboration with the hotel company allows us to share the burden of some investment and maintenance costs and yields additional income which the school can use for supporting our educational activities. Additionally, the hotel company can increase its capacity temporarily in high season periods. This cooperation is a real win-win for both parties, made possible by the smart transformable setup of the building units. The result is that the buildings are used more intensively -inside and outside of school hours- and that risks are reduced -both in terms of maintenance costs and hotel occupancy."

"The school ‘grows with the students’: classrooms can easily be added or removed depending on demographics."

"As Reburg has been attracting a lot of young families, creating sufficient school capacity within a short time frame used to be a big problem. That is why 10 years ago the school decided to choose for a fundamentally new building system of transformable class rooms and multifunctional spaces with adaptable walls and floors. This system allows us to ‘grow with the students’: classrooms can easily be added or removed depending on demographics.

From kindergarten to primary and secondary school, building components and class units are easily moved/transported to the location in the city where it’s most needed and arranged in the most suitable setting (small or big classes, lab settings, playing areas, etc.). Basically, classrooms move and evolve together with their students instead of vice-versa. We used the digital twin of the EduPlay Centre to determine which building components and configurations were most suited to allow such a high level of transformation and reuse."

"Facilititoutatis uses detailed week/month programmes so that our teams can change the rooms swiftly and efficiently to the new configuration."

"Facilitoutatis manages the building configurations and maintenance in both the EduPlay centre and the nearby HealthyHill Estate. As both facilities work with the same open building system, we can easily switch modules and components between both sites according to their respective needs. Also, interior and exterior finishing materials are easily tailored to any taste, smoothly matching the buildings’ look and feel with preferences of both facilities. You would be surprised how many different architectural styles and forms can be created with the same modular components!

Using a virtual 3D model, a digital twin of the complete EduPlay Centre, we adapt the different rooms and spaces immediately to the changing needs of the school, while continuously updating detailed site plans and keeping track of the use history of all modules and components. In holiday periods, we also transform part of the classrooms into holiday homes and leisure spaces, based on the touristic requests we receive all year round.

Besides the technical challenges that come with such fundamental transformation, this also requires professional work management, using detailed week/month programmes so that the deconstruction and assembly teams at Facilititoutatis can change the rooms swiftly and efficiently to the new configuration. Of course, we make sure every new configuration meets safety and health regulations. Unfit and redundant building parts or modules are taken care of by the component wizards of Urban Metabolism. "

"In the Edu-Play centre we used parts and materials from the deconstruction of the old harbour warehouses."

"In the Edu-Play centre we used parts and materials from the deconstruction of the old harbour warehouses. The core of the building and extension modules consists of a steel construction that originated from a former textile factory, while the facades are made of recovered wooden cladding. Because the shape of the EduPlay Centre changes frequently year round, there is a continuous supply and demand of building components.

To reduce logistics, a small warehouse is built on-site, to store the components that are most frequently interchanged between the school and hotel configurations. Unfit building parts from the EduPlay Centre are brought to the Urban Livers for upgrading, remanufacturing and/or recycling. Thanks to the use of Building Information Models and materials passports, we have a clear overview of the components present in the current buildings, as well as in our warehouses."

"We offer recovered and refurbished building components to building assemblers and building stock managers, in the format of a service."

"I am component wizard at Urban Metabolism Ltd. Our company is located at Reburg’s Urban Livers and takes care of building materials and components that result from deconstruction works that take place in the city. We offer recovered and refurbished building components to building assemblers and building stock managers, in the format of a service. This use-oriented business model has several advantages, both for the customer as for us as a company. For the customer it reduces the risk and the cost of ownership of expensive building components, while offering a lot a flexibility in exchanging building units for other modules following changing needs. For us as a company, this model guarantees a more steady flow of income year-round, while with traditional sales, our revenues would be very dependent on market tendencies in the building sector at a certain moment. Moreover, this system allows for more customer loyalty.

Apart from the storage and processing, we also arrange the reverse logistics of the materials and products. For that we work closely together with building stock managers, such as Facilitoutatis, evaluating and redirecting deconstructed components when they come in, or even on-site based on their reuse potential. Some materials can be directly reused on-site or in new assemblies in the neighbourhood. The components that cannot be reused directly are transferred to our large storage facility at the Urban Livers. There, the materials are cleaned, checked for quality and stored until they can be reused in a new building. We update materials passports -or create new ones- in order to keep track of all components in our stock, their material properties, history and future recovery potential. As soon as a new application is identified, the components are refurbished, upgraded or remanufactured according to the new needs. Components that cannot be reused are sent to the neighbouring ResourCycle plant, also located at the Urban Livers, where they are recycled into raw base materials for industry or prepared as biochemical feedstock for agricultural applications.’ "

"Already when planning a new building or a deconstruction project, we check with them which materials are readily available for reuse."

"I work closely together with the component wizards at Urban Metabolism Ltd. Already when planning a new building or a deconstruction project, we check with them which materials are readily available for reuse, or seek their advice on how to approach a deconstruction project and how to handle the resulting materials. They have an extensive component library from which we can select suitable materials and components, originating from different building system developers, including tailored refurbishment and remanufacturing in order to meet the specific requirements of the new build. materials passports are available for all building products, so material properties, use guidelines and restrictions are available at a glance.

Building components often remain the property of the Livers, while the end users lease them. Such a leasing scheme is particularly interesting for temporary buildings, or buildings that frequently undergo reorganisation, such as the EduPlay centre or HealthyHill Estate. After usage, the Livers take the components back and refurbish them to their near-original quality." "

"We sort, detoxify and reprocess unfit building components into new raw materials for industry or agriculture."

"Building components that are too worn out to refurbish or repair, or components from old buildings not designed for reuse, are usually declared unfit for remanufacturing by Urban Metabolism Ltd. These unfit components are sent to ResourCycle, also located at the Urban Livers, where we sort, detoxify and reprocess these materials into new raw materials for industry or agriculture. We work closely together with the innovative makers in the Fabcenter, as well as with established industries to develop new materials with new properties, including a good recyclability."

"Since the start of the Urban Livers, reusing building components has become second nature for every building designer."

"In the past, using reclaimed building components in new buildings was a very difficult and risky undertaking. Finding suitable components was a tedious task, as there was no structured storage and information system in place. Moreover, most contractors were very reluctant to use building components again due to a lack of quality assurance and incompatibility with other building systems.

Since the start of the Urban Livers, reusing building components has become second nature for every building designer. The company ‘Urban Metabolism’ acts as a component library and match maker, making the sourcing of components with the desired characteristics much easier. Their supply of reusable materials is enormous: interior building elements such as walls, doors, ceilings, floors and utilities, but also façade elements, bricks, window frames and steel beams. For each of the components a detailed materials passport with all relevant information is available, from which all the characteristics of the component can be retrieved: material composition and properties, strength characteristics, former uses, etc. The user-friendly database makes it very convenient to look for suitable components for a new building."