FF 2025

Reusability Assessment of Materials and Components of Existing Buildings

Fundamental Fund (FF) 2025

This study explores the potential for reusing materials from end-of-life buildings in Thailand under the Circular Economy framework. Through stakeholder interviews, the research identifies key barriers to adoption, including the absence of legal frameworks, insufficient economic incentives, and low consumer trust. To overcome these challenges, the study proposes actionable recommendations—such as establishing reuse-specific legislation, promoting Design for Disassembly, and offering financial incentives—to transition material reuse from isolated efforts into a standardized, sustainable practice across the Thai construction industry.

Reusability Assessment of Materials and Components of Existing Buildings

Background

The global construction sector is responsible for over a third of greenhouse gas emissions and immense waste generation. Transitioning to Circular Economy (CE)—specifically by reusing core materials like concrete and steel—is essential to replace resource-depleting linear models, lower emissions, and advance sustainable development. Despite the clear environmental benefits of material reuse, Thailand's CE adoption lags significantly behind international benchmarks. The absence of standardized, globally accepted assessment frameworks and legal guidelines in Thailand has led to highly inconsistent and inefficient material reuse practices across the industry.

Objectives

Analyze current strategies and initiatives for reusing construction materials from existing buildings in Thailand
Evaluate the Thai construction industry's understanding and readiness regarding material reusability
Develop actionable recommendations to drive the industry toward sustainable construction practices

Literature Review

No data available for this section yet

Methodology

A qualitative approach was utilized to gather deep industry insights regarding the current practices, obstacles, and future plans for building material reuse. Semi-structured interviews were developed to provide flexible yet consistent exploration of key themes, including assessment methods, reuse processes, and storage practices. The study targeted four primary stakeholder groups within Thailand's civil engineering sector: contractors, designers, manufacturers, and project owners. A cross-case analysis was conducted to compare the qualitative data across these stakeholder groups, highlighting variations and commonalities in implementation and challenges.

Results

Black dots = high-impact obstacles, White dots = low-impact obstacles

Analysis

No data available for this section yet

Recommendations

No data available for this section yet

Conclusion

No data available for this section yet

Research Team

Associate Professor Kriengsak Panuwatwanich, Ph.D.

Head of Research Project

Mr. Worawat Sriudom

Researcher and PhD Candidate

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