'Building on existing foundation saves time, costs and CO2 emissions'

In the Netherlands, we are used to building safely and according to standards. That is right, but in times of circularity and climate neutrality, that same standard can play tricks on us. As in the case of concrete pile foundations: We replace them with ease, while reuse is often a much more sustainable option. 

The production of new foundation piles consumes a lot of energy, raw materials and thus CO2 emissions. Reuse ensures substantial savings on this. It also saves on construction time and costs: reusing foundation piles is often cheaper than installing new piles. Furthermore, you have less waste; reuse produces less debris. 

Whether a foundation is suitable for reuse depends on several factors, such as the type of pile, length, diameter and condition. With modern techniques, we can accurately determine the quality of the piles. If the pile is in good condition, it can be integrated into the new design. 

There are already some examples of bridges and buildings where existing foundations are reused. A good example is The Frame Building in Amsterdam: at this building, 28 of the 50 foundation piles were reused. This saved a lot of money and CO2 emissions. The same applies to a viaduct over the A9, where as many as 208 foundation piles from an old bridge were reused. 

There is a huge network of concrete foundation piles under the ground in the Netherlands. By reusing these piles, we can save enormous amounts of CO2, raw materials and money. We have to get rid of the idea that reusing means removing the piles from the ground. It is often better to leave the piles in place and integrate them into the new design. 

The success of such initiatives does require careful assessment of the quality and bearing capacity of the existing foundations. This includes visual inspections, acoustic measurements and material analysis to ensure that the foundations are suitable for reuse.