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Urban mining:
how Hexagon gets more out of its sites

In our pursuit of green, future-proof business property, the Hexagon team keeps taking innovative steps. Urban mining allows us to recover demolition waste and set the right tone from the very start of a redevelopment project. We are currently doing this in Meulebeke, where the facade panels of the former Intermat site are becoming the building blocks of a new project. Curious about the sustainable added value of urban mining? Hexagon is happy to tell you all about it.

How does Flanders deal with construction and demolition waste?

Did you know that 35% of waste in Flanders comes from construction and demolition activities? A figure that cannot be ignored. Especially when you know that 5 to 12% of total national greenhouse gas emissions are also linked to these activities. In total, the Flemish construction sector produces 15 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste a year, 90% of which consists of stony materials. 95% of those stony materials are then recycled into the foundations of roads and buildings.* When it comes to recovering non-stony materials, however, there is still plenty of room for progress. That is why the importance of urban mining should not be underestimated.

(*according to figures from the research report ‘Urban mining in Vlaanderen’ - 26/05/2021)

What is urban mining?

To build in a circular way, and thus create economic, social and ecological added value, you have to take into account the existing legacy and the future opportunities of construction projects. That is why usable materials from old buildings and infrastructure are recovered, so they can then be reused in new buildings. In other words: urban mining. This saves natural raw materials and makes full use of the potential of existing materials. Urban mining therefore brings a whole host of benefits:

Less need for new raw materials
Lower environmental impact of construction projects
Less waste going to landfill
Greater energy savings
Recovered materials cheaper than new raw materials
Natural raw materials are preserved for longer

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Through urban mining, Hexagon is literally laying its own brick in the circular economy.

Jelle Vandendriessche, Director of Hexagon

How does Hexagon apply urban mining?

At Hexagon, we are always striving for improved construction processes, from demolition to completion. At the start of every project, our team routinely looks at what is possible in terms of recirculation and sustainability.

A prime example of that mindset can be found today in Meulebeke. Where building materials specialist Intermat was located until 2023, the Ursus business park will soon be built. During the demolition of the vacant buildings, Hexagon is currently putting urban mining into practice: “Through our demolition contractor BMV from Ingelmunster, our team found the opportunity to recover some of the demolition materials in Meulebeke,” says Hexagon Director Jelle Vandendriessche. “The requested Ytong panels are carefully dismantled, sawn to size on site, and then used for a new project. In this way, we are literally laying our own brick in the circular economy.”

This makes the Ursus business park another flagship project for Hexagon. To be continued …

For more info: www.bedrijvenparkursus.be