Dear Sir or Madam, dear readers,

when looking at the annual review of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building, the impression once again arises that there is a great deal of talk about acceleration — but too little about the foundations that actually make construction and dismantling processes viable in practice. Faster approvals alone do not create raw materials, landfill capacities, or functioning material cycles.

The real challenges have long since become more fundamental: material availability, regional value chains, rising transport costs, resource security, and practical rules for the use of secondary construction materials. This is exactly where dismantling plays a central role. Because circular economy does not begin with disposal, but where materials are identified, separated, secured, and made usable again.

From the perspective of the German Demolition Association, circular economy is still too often treated in construction policy as a downstream disposal issue. Yet it is precisely during dismantling that the decision is made whether existing structures become valuable raw materials for new construction projects — or whether potential is lost due to unclear rules, lack of acceptance, and linear tendering.

The construction transition can only work if it remains technically feasible, economically viable, and practical from a regulatory point of view. Otherwise, all that remains of it in the end is a nice headline.

You will find our full assessment of the BMWSB annual review in the linked article.

We wish you an enjoyable read.

Your DA Team

DA Position on the BMWSB Annual Review

The annual review of the BMWSB shows that the Federal Government aims to provide new momentum. From the perspective of the German Demolition Association, however, the review still falls short in several key areas. > Read More

This year we celebrate: