RC114 SeptOct 2024 - Magazine - Page 19
As steel reuse has the potential to reduce embodied carbon emissions
up to 97 per cent from conventional steel, this emerging practice
represents a serious consideration for the industry.
Therefore, regardless of how the virgin
steel is currently created, the emissions
reductions realized from the reused steel is
dramatic. These reductions are the driver
for establishing the steel reuse sector in
Canada: why the industry should embrace
the reuse of steel in their projects, and why
the government should build incentives to
help catalyze the adoption.
GWTTY IMAGES
Steel reuse—here and now
There has been a handful of completed large
scale projects that have incorporated reused
structural steel. These projects include L9
Édioce Normand-Maurice, Montréal, Que.,
The Roy Stibbs School, Coquitlam, B.C., and
the Shaw Center, Ottawa Ont. The last major
public project in Toronto was in 2004 when
salvaged steel from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) was reused in the development
of the Student Centre on the University of
Toronto Scarborough campus, delivered by
Halsall (now WSP). In fact, there are historical examples such as the Centre Block parliament building reconstruction from 1916, which incorporated steel beams from the original
structure following a ore.
These successful reuse projects are typically owner driven and
proceed when one company is working on both the demolition of
a building, and the construction of a new building within the same
geographic area. When reusable steel is available, contractors will
reuse the steel immediately within the new site, reinforcing that timing and schedule is a key aspect to this nascent steel reuse industry.
Despite these case studies, right now steel reuse is still in its
infancy in Canada. In more general practice, steel reuse is informal
and comes in the form of contractors reusing temporary support systems, such as shoring posts, and salvage yards selling as-is steel.
One noteworthy company, PDI National Salvage, doubles as a
demolition contractor and an as-is reseller. As a steel stockist, they
have created a market for steel reuse in Ontario, where these pieces
are often used for non-structural uses and smaller scale projects such
as sleepers or sheds.
Building momentum
As government agencies strengthen environmental targets for building projects in a national drive towards net-zero by 2050, steel reuse
has the potential to emerge as a highly accessible and cost-efective
way to further reduce the embodied carbon of a structure.
While closely watching the UK9s steel reuse industry grow, the
Canadian industry has begun to establish its viability. WSP has committed to implementing steel reuse on the Centre Block Rehabilita-
RENEWCANADA.NET
tion, which is aligned with the Government of Canada9s sustainability goals for the project. In fact, industry discourse around steel reuse
picked up signiocantly in 2023 thanks to thoughtful discussions by
industry leaders at conferences and around the board room table.
The conversation, which hasd attracted stakeholders from across the
construction industry, from owners to demolition contractors, and
spurred engaging discussion on how to move this forward, resulting
in the formation of an industry working group.
Developing a viable industry
To really catalyze the adoption of steel reuse, Canada needs to establish a government incentive program. The creation of a carbon credit
system, providing onancial incentive to the salvage steel stockists,
contractors, and developers, would facilitate investment in systems
and infrastructure needed to make steel reuse standard practice.
Four key barriers, for which each could be overcome with a carbon
credit system, to creating a steel reuse market are:
DEDICATED STORAGE SPACE FOR RECLAIMED STEEL MEMBERS A protected space
for storing, cataloguing, and managing reusable steel.
A PUBLIC
