The transition towards a circular infrastructure sector requires greater retention of existing structural materials, yet identifying concrete elements with reuse potential does not necessarily result in their incorporation into new designs. This research investigates how structural concrete reuse potential can be optimised by improving decision-making in Dutch infrastructure projects. A structured literature review was combined with a multiple-case study of three Dutch infrastructure projects and semi-structured interviews with practitioners involved in reuse-related decision-making. The research traces reuse decisions across project phases to identify key decision moments, stakeholders, influencing factors and decision-support tools, and compares the reuse potential identified during early-stage assessments with subsequent design decisions.

The findings show that technical feasibility alone does not determine reuse outcomes. Although existing assessment methods can identify technically reusable structural elements, reuse potential is progressively reduced during project development due to project objectives, stakeholder priorities, information availability, organisational factors, planning constraints and uncertainties related to risk and implementation. Existing tools such as reusability assessments and environmental assessments primarily support individual decisions and provide limited guidance on how reuse considerations should be carried through the wider project decision-making process. The case studies further demonstrate the importance of coordination between donor and receiving projects, particularly where project timing, storage and matching constrain the transfer of reusable components.

Based on these findings, a process-based decision-making framework was developed to structure the integration of reuse throughout the project lifecycle. The framework defines key decision moments, decision questions, stakeholder responsibilities, influencing factors, required information and supporting tools for both donor and receiving structures. A digital decision-support tool and practitioner handbook were subsequently developed to operationalise the framework. The research demonstrates that increasing structural concrete reuse requires not only reliable technical assessment, but also a structured and transparent decision-making process that helps retain reuse potential as projects progress from preliminary assessment to final design decisions. ... Read more