Rebuild back better

Circular Demolition, Timber Reconstruction and Community-Based Housing for the Next Generation of European Neighbourhoods

Across Northern and Central Europe, thousands of housing estates built during the 1950s-1970s are approaching the end of their functional life. Cities face increasing challenges related to ageing building stock, climate targets, housing shortages, social fragmentation and rising renovation costs. In many cases, demolition is becoming unavoidable. Yet demolition remains largely linear: valuable materials become waste, embodied carbon is lost, and neighbourhoods are rebuilt from scratch.

The planned redevelopment of Väktargatan in Uppsala, Sweden, offers an opportunity to create a new European model.

The Väktargatan neighbourhood currently comprises approximately 420 apartments owned by Uppsalahem. Due to poor geotechnical conditions, the existing buildings are scheduled for demolition during 2027-2028. Rather than treating this as a traditional demolition project, RE-LIVING Väktargatan proposes a full-scale demonstration of circular urban transformation.

The project will investigate how an entire residential district can become the material bank, knowledge source and social foundation for its own next generation.

The ambition is to transform a linear process of demolition and replacement into a regenerative process of deconstruction, urban mining, material reuse and climate-neutral reconstruction.

Vision

RE-LIVING Väktargatan aims to demonstrate how a social housing neighbourhood reaching the end of its technical and geotechnical life can be rebuilt as a climate-neutral, circular and socially resilient district.

The project will establish an integrated demonstration chain covering:

• Digital material inventories and material passports

• Selective dismantling instead of conventional demolition

• Urban mining and material harvesting

• Reuse and remanufacturing of building components

• Timber-based reconstruction

• Community-based housing concepts

• Circular ownership and business models

• Climate-resilient neighbourhood planning

The new district is expected to deliver 200-400 homes while significantly reducing embodied carbon compared with conventional demolition and rebuilding.

Key Research Questions

1. How can entire housing estates be dismantled rather than demolished, maximising reuse and circular value creation?

2. Which materials, components and systems can be recovered and directly integrated into new construction?

3. How can timber become the primary structural material for reconstruction while maintaining affordability and high architectural quality?

4. How can social housing evolve into community-oriented housing through cohousing, intergenerational living, senior communities and shared facilities?

5. Which business models, procurement strategies and governance structures are required to scale circular neighbourhood transformation across Europe?

Demonstration Neighbourhood

The reconstruction of Väktargatan will explore several complementary housing typologies:

• Senior community housing supporting healthy ageing and reduced loneliness.

• Family-oriented housing with shared facilities and childcare-supportive environments.

• Affordable housing for young adults and first-time residents.

• Intergenerational housing bringing different age groups together.

• Shared community functions such as coworking, guest rooms, repair workshops, cafés, urban farming and mobility services.

The objective is not simply to build new housing, but to create a resilient neighbourhood where social and environmental sustainability reinforce one another.

Circular Urban Transformation

The project addresses one of Europe's largest untapped material resources: ageing residential districts.

Current practices often generate enormous waste streams despite the fact that buildings contain recoverable steel, façade components, balconies, windows, technical systems and concrete resources.

RE-LIVING Väktargatan will develop methodologies for:

• Digital resource mapping

• Selective dismantling

• Circular logistics

• Material valuation

• Urban resource banks

• Industrial reuse chains

The project will demonstrate how the value embedded in existing buildings can remain within the local and regional economy.