How to recycle an old U.S. military base

[@DWPlanetA]

Are there any urban mining projects happening on where you live?

[@soton5teve]

It can house all the illegal immigrates the eu are sending and have sent to the uk, but won't take back because we are not in the eu, but they still send them!

[@MetaView7]

What a shame. 80 years on and DE is still occupied.

[@michaelhoran407]

Yes! Rocky Mountain Arsenal on 15,000 acres ten miles north of Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. was cleaned up and repurposed as a national wildlife refuge. This cost $2.1 billion USD. The site had been used to manufacture chemical weapons, e.g. mustard gas, nerve gas since 1948 until 1984. Today it’s home to thousands of Great Plains wildlife.😮❤

[@CausticLemons7]

@@MetaView7 Why don't they ask them to leave? Weird that it's apparently shameful yet reality doesn't follow...

[@maddynewhouse143]

There are stores across the US run by the non-profit Habitat for Humanity called the Habitat Re-stores, where people can donate their used household things like building materials, appliances, fixtures, and furniture! The stores help to fund the homes that Habitat for Humanity build for families in need. I am also friends with a man that goes into old homes and buildings and salvages their building materials and sells them. Think beautiful old hardwood floors, windows, doors, even door handles!

[@boluaiyepola9271]

I’m an urban miner in Nigeria! The practice extends beyond just circular construction, and includes generally seeking out resource banks in urban areas. I’m currently working on scouting important molecules for the chemical industry, from waste material. Needless to say, I love my job.

[@miked451]

Awesome!

[@yuanruichen2564]

Good to know Nigeria is finding its own way

[@christineskead1663]

A good thing....these old buildings are really ugly

[@markthompson180]

I'm glad to see that this is a growing movement. Here in the US, I always think it's such a shame to see buildings being demolished and then all of the materials being carted off to the landfill, when exactly the same materials will be needed to construct new buildings.

[@justinefafard2355]

I used to live on a Canadian base in Lahr in the 80s- it looked very similar to the one in the video and the buildings were well-built. I believe it was refurbished and remained as housing. There were so many bases across Germany until the end of the Cold War. Many fond memories!

[@jennyh4025]

I know that a former base in Cologne was refurbished and is now used as housing.

[@Gardenpixee]

There's a company here that recycles whole buildings and has their own yard where they then on sell it. Only seen wooden structures done as there's a lot of tough native wood that can be reused and its not a large company but I'm still stoked with the efforts and quality of what's sold on

[@OffGridInvestor]

That just a demolition yard. Many countries have these. Great for period renovations and cheap second hand stuff. My bedroom wood heater come from a since demolished house. They essentially disassemble everything with a wrecking bar and keep the good stuff in the yard while the rotten timber is taken to landfill/incinerator.

[@creedreaming]

Imagine, in the future, for every house build, there is also a data base for that house which contains all the materials used. So, as soon as it will be deconstructed, nobody needs to examine anything, because the database already exists. It would make the urban mining project much faster.

[@winnipegnick]

Hmm, I like a good database, but what happens when the home owner replaces a toilet, light fixture or appliance when it dies. Will they be required to update the database? This may be necessary for accuracy.

[@xitro20xx]

as people renovate about a piece of their house every 10 years, it would be very very hard. also privacy

[@Badirseferzade]

what a stupid government is germany. I pay here 1500 eur rent. people are homeless millions of houses are missing and they demolished these apartments

[@beskamir5977]

Cool idea but too idealistic for our reality. The privacy nightmare that could pose isn't worth it.

[@SnowyMary]

@@beskamir5977 maybe not for the easily movable parts, but for the house itself? I still see people having to test for asbestos before demolishing anything. but then, renovating every 10 years (aside from maybe repainting or a new fridge) seems absolutely wild to me and the family homes I usually see

[@aprildawnsunshine4326]

In poorer areas of the southern states in the US I've seen this a lot but very informally. People will basically raid sites that are being taken down for whatever they can use as well as any leftover material from newer construction. It's common practice to set your leftovers on the curb even in more well off neighborhoods once your project is done. A number of people in construction have told me their company policy is to just throw extras away because it's too complicated to use them for a different project from a billing perspective.

[@eugenetswong]

Putting materials on the curb is a great idea. It's an intuitive message that the items are free to take. This saves on dumping fees, so it really is a win-win. If there isn't enough room, then the company could ask neighbours to lend space near the curb.

[@ConstantChaos1]

I actually was loving the raw data being provided, i didnt think it was dry at all this is cool new tech enabling us to reuse buildings like they are old fashioned jointed timber built

[@Xaviar_St.Thomas]

Wow … this is looking back at my childhood. I Grew up in Hanäu (elementary school) and High School in Fürth (Nürnberg) I remember traveling to Wiesbaden and Heidelberg to visit friends and sport competitions.

[@cogman62]

I actually lived in PHV on Alamo Circle, where some of this report was filmed (77-80). Nice to see it being recycled as opposed to merely being torn down. Good for Heidelberg!

[@meztli5279]

I lived there in the mid 80s as a child. Great memories!

[@jfb_ventures]

Urban mining is very common in the townships and shanty towns in South Africa.

[@nick6var]

That was my home for three years as a child. I have memories of going into the small thrift shop and seeing the floor markings showing that it was the previous bowling alley. My brother's scouts meetings mainly were in the middle school, whose cafeteria displayed a number of historical flag designs from the American Revolution. Catholics had Sunday school in the elementary school, and then we'd walk to the church. The cross would be rotated from the Protestant side to the Catholic side and then we'd have our service. I was a kid and I was allowed to go all over the place. I would occasionally go to the library by myself. And when I finally got my dog tags, I could run to the store and buy what my mom needed while making dinner. So many memories in the place. 😢

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Nick! Wow, that is crazy - thanks for sharing your memories with us here 😊 Did you know that they are working on this project?

[@nick6var]

I accidentally dropped my figure of Hefty Smurf (jogging in his running outfit) down a vent in a group of seats at the new bowling alley. (It was '87 or '88.)

[@nick6var]

@@DWPlanetA One of my sister's found this video and shared it. Every once in awhile one of my sister's finds something else about PHV and shares it, like when it was used to house migrants.

[@kateboyd6422]

@@nick6var I also lived in PHV as a child ('92-'94) and have sent this video to my family and a childhood friend I am still in contact with. Speaking of vents, my friend and I tried to lift one once and I ended up injuring my hand. I also remember us kids throwing the chestnuts at each other and walking to school everyday. I have many, many of times wondered what happened to the base. I swear that opening shot could've been taken outside my stairwell, the ground floor apartment on the left.

[@nick6var]

@@kateboyd6422 I remember our building was in a straight line to the elementary school. I think it was 4435 Lexington Drive, but I'm really not sure about the building number. We were on the second floor. Our three Christmases there we had real trees. The first one in 1985 the needles were shedding pretty badly and the tree was fairly brown when Epiphany came around. Taking the tree down the stairwell was quite a mess, so the next year my mom had an idea. Those big windows that appeared in the video? They open pretty far. So we actually just dropped the tree out of the window and most of the needles fell off. So many fun memories! 😄

[@SonnyDarvish]

Much needed approach for Germany that doesn't like to demolish old buildings for the sake of environment. I hope this becomes mainstream tech and we don't have to hear neighbors walking or flushing their toilets as if there is a cardboard between us or know when they turn on their heater, since their pipes are running through our units.

[@wormfood868]

I used to live there in the mid 1980's. I really liked living there as a kid.

[@Sunsetluver1]

What is sad is that for whatever reason,the buildings were left mainly unused and allowed to fall into disrepair instead of being used.

[@kaybakr-e4k]

In Schweinfurt Ledward Barracks was turned into the Technical University Schweinfurt and Aston Manors living quarters were remodeled and sold on the real estate market...

[@franzisbrecht8837]

Love this project and happy to be a part of it through our Madaster material cadastre that enables to make these reuse and recycling processes a way more efficient.

[@ActuallyDoubleGuitars]

That fridge and oven looked perfectly usable.

[@brucestarr4438]

20-30 years ago I worked on large construction projects demolishing old concrete building like shopping centers or factory's. They were large enough that it was profitable to bring in portable crushers to turn the old concrete into recycled sub base for onsite and other building projects. The steel rebar was sold to metal recyclers. Asphalt roads are regularly broken down by grinders and taken to be used in new asphalt production. In my State in the USA, it is cheaper to recycle it than put in landfills.

[@LouisSubearth]

What state though?

[@57WillysCJ]

The biggest improvement would be to not let these buildings sit dormant for so long. Without care they start to deteriate fast. The roofs start leaking and ceilings fall then mold starts growing. I would see about shipping appliances, windows and other items to poorer countries. The windows may not be the best for Germany or even that energy efficient anywhere but they are better than no windows.

[@JohnBurkhertJr]

I lived in carbon copies of those Patrick Henry Village apartments in Ben Franklin Village outside of Mannheim. Some of our little league games were in Heidelberg, I recall playing marbles after a game at PHV. Those kids were good; I lost my marbles - or at least a few of them.

[@danielcarroll3358]

Living in a college town in California one has a great selection of furniture and electronics available at the end of each semester. Just walk down the street with your eyes open. ;) Students put everything at the curb. Lots of IKEA especially, but also last year's television, stereo and computer.

[@Picknumber3milord]

And a lot of them put out good quality stuff. Stanford graduation was great lol

[@tomhenry897]

Most goes to the dump

[@sbdiaries]

A very big project to manage ,and glad to hear that many years of thought gone into it . Greetings from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Simon and Beth ❤❤❤

[@MCJ-jt7hq]

They forgot to mention that they removed the gutters of these buildings and let them rot for over ten years. The buildings itself could have been reused. So sad.

[@myoface]

I lived at 12 Brandywine in the late 90’s. I can’t tell you how many meals I ate at PHV’s Burger King and Lexingtons. Blast from the past!

[@tomtom2806]

Thinking in terms of environmentally friendly material cycles starts with everyday questions: If I decide to move into an existing building and into an existing settlement with existing infrastructure, I am already doing a lot for this idea. Because then you don't have to demolish and rebuild.

[@ronaldannas1935]

I used to live in PHV as a kid. I attended elementary and middle school there. It is strange hearing someone talking about recycling a place that one lived in.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Thanks for sharing that with us. Yeah, can imagine that it is weird to hear that the place that used to be your home is now recycled and changed. ✨

[@Nikoo033]

Absolutely brilliant. Loved the building passport, listing and taking note of all the materials that could be available from a building, should it be demolished in the future. 👏🏻

[@123pangolin]

Nice report. If we treated all architecture as historic, protected or listed, we'd have to be more careful about their restoration or re-use. Buildings used be built for the long term. We now throw up buildings designed for 30 years. And, can we please go back to decorating our buildings?

[@soulbarn]

I spent much of my childhood here. Thank you for this!

[@SnowyMary]

What a way to find out there's urban mining happening in my area! Greeting from Heidelberg :D This is so cool, how didn't I know this?

[@christiankaiser7747]

Good idea to reuse materials and parts of the demolished buildings. But renovating/reusing all buildings would be better. I think the main reason why only 1/3 of the buildings are reused is that new build houses/buildings sell better and they can fit more buildings on the same area (sell more apartments etc.) I’ve seen that many times. Old Buildings are demolished and then new ones with more space are build.

[@timothywalker4563]

I forgot to say that after WW2 in my home town we had an army training camp that was sold off. Locals had a nostalgia for office furniture or anything of use that could have a second life. It’s good to see entire buildings won’t go to waste either.

[@NeoDerGrose]

The principle is much older. For example the original facade of the famous Arena di Verona is missing because citizens priced it apart to build houses.

[@AndrewRivinus]

Fascinating! I lived on Patrick Henry Village in 1965-67. This is a great approach to re-designing the location.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Wow, that is cool! Glad you stumbled upon our video ✨

[@paytonpryor]

My problem with Military bases is that they look like Commie Blocks.

[@ravanpee1325]

Commie blocks are a very efficient form of housing...looks better than US suburbia

[@lostchild2003]

The city of Hanau has done an excellent job in converting it's many old US Army military barraks and the housing into apartment complexes and commercial areas.

[@103erik]

Like many who commented before me, I lived here in my youth. PHV was home from 1967 until fall of 1970 when I left to go to college in the US. I fondly remember Patrick Henry Village, going to Heidelberg American Highschool, and of course the city of Heidelberg. Great place. Good to see it's not going to be demolished.

[@ericksonrw]

I lived in 'PHV' from 1982-1984, went to the middle school that was shown. Many, many memories - went back about 4 or 5 years ago, but could not enter due to the refugees being housed there. Glad to see Germany taking such a novel approach - and thank you for the video!

[@Jmp5nb]

Most of the buildings on this base were in fact built by Germans using German materials and local codes. American Engineers simply awarded contracts to different firms and insured that they were built to contract terms. While I was there in the 1980’s much that was of inferior or antiquated design was in fact torn down and replaced with the best available materials and built by Germans (Boiler plants, fuel storage). Before departure for the final time many items were replaced with new items or repaired for future German use. Then the sites sat empty for a decade plus.

[@robertsmith5744]

Yep.

[@Zeptus1488]

Why aren't they using these homes as social housing???

[@Jmp5nb]

@@Zeptus1488 Many are in fact used to house refugees from war. They receive training and employment assistance as well as teaching language skills.

[@istoppedlaughing5225]

This recycling is not new in my country. We use everything from an old demolished building

[@cory8837]

Those 8"x8" floor tiles are probably asbestos. A lot of mitigation work before anything can be done. I like that they're keeping some of the buildings.

[@jermainec2462]

i dont think there that old are they ?

[@builtontherockhomestead9390]

​@jermainec2462 Asbestos was being used when these buildings were built. Asbestos was used until 1989.

[@cory8837]

@@jermainec2462 Yes, they are unfortunately.

[@bald871]

​@@cory8837no, Its banned in Germany since 1993, So they would have to vacate if azbestos Tiles not removed ...

[@DawnDavidson]

I am sure they are factoring that in, but yes, that’s a good point. Asbestos was one of the reasons we never removed a particular duct in my old house. It was much safer to leave it in place, and we didn’t have the money to afford the mitigation.

[@JeffDeWitt]

As was said, this is nothing new, people have been doing it for thousands of years, but this project is taking it to a whole new level. While I'm really skeptical about this whole climate change thing I think it's a great idea because waste in general is bad. It's so much better when we can find a new use for old buildings. As to urban mining in my area (the booming Research Triangle of North Carolina), I don't know of any quite like this. But one thing I did notice that seemed like an excellent idea, when rebuilding a highway they took the old concrete, broke it up, separated the rebar, and then turned the concrete into gravel that was used as the base for the new roadway.

[@bitelogger]

I love the idea of urban mining, amazing

[@GuideTheNation]

Thanks DW, great video. Professional, educational and inspirational!

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Glad to hear that you liked the video. We post video of this style each week. Subscribe to our channel to not miss any and let us know what you think about them ✨

[@AgentAO7]

This is great & I hope other cities, and eventually other countries will follow & hopefully the entire construction industry would adapt this. Even if not 100%, but it should be implemented in one way or another.. Wishing this project to be a huge success. 👍

[@mai_world]

This is fantastic!!!

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Glad to hear that you liked our video. We post videos like this one every Friday ✨

[@francescreinoso5596]

The project does not convince me. Crushing and recycling does not reduce carbonization. If the buildings were made of adobes, tapia, wood, then yes, but the mechanization and reformulations of industrial materials is a fallacy in energy savings.

[@joncarter8896]

This is an interesting question, especially for Eastern Europe, because there are many buildings of the Soviet era whose service life has expired, and there are also buildings destroyed by war and these are hundreds of tons of resources that should not become garbage.

[@MacrohardOnfireExcelSuite]

Unfortunately many Soviet bases contain hazardous materials such as asbestos..

[@flowermeerkat6827]

Thanks for this video.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Happy to hear that you liked our video. We post videos like this one every Friday. Subscribe to not miss any and let us know what you think ✨

[@rudytomarchio]

Urban Mining is a new term for spolia. It has been around for thousands of years. What is old is new again.

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

This is the beginning of the Money Free Economy, A resource-based economy. As humanity evolves this will naturally fall into place. It's a new Zeitgeist!

[@magesalmanac6424]

Bring back bartering!

[@hrs6480]

Don’t ask what’s hiding in the underground beneath these lands… I am from there you don’t wanna know ..

[@iniminimanimo4178]

Now you got me interested. What are you talking about?

[@hrs6480]

@@iniminimanimo4178 I can tell some stuff and you can imagine the rest. I always encounter some drunk American soldiers/ scientists when going partying in specific night clubs and the stuff I heard… it basically goes down there for Kilometers and no one can tell how far. They told me they don’t just do military stuff there like storing nuclear missiles and such but they told me they use it as a like law free zone and do all kinds of crazy experiments, scientific work there. They must also have unheard of air ships there, sometimes at 1-2am on a week day I can hear surreal engine sounds and such all the time. The other problem is just 2 months ago there was a russiangerman spy caught there that wanted to get in them American cities there as a disguised plumber or something and when the Russians attack they will always go for these most eastern established US bases. Here there are no bunkers for us Bavarians and if they hit us, only those in the American communities can seek refugee in bunkers…

[@erikolsen6269]

This is the future

[@IngenieroSaborio]

Looking backward to how my house was built a couple of years ago under the KFW 50E standard, it is difficult to imagine that such a house could be easily recycled. Alone the floors and roofs are a chaotic sandwich of materials up to 70 cm thick. If urban mining is the way to go, the houses should be built in such a way that the materials are easier to recover.

[@alanjameson8664]

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

[@rinnin]

I think it’s a shame how so much useful material & utilities just get dumped in skips when people fancy a new bathroom or kitchen. Meanwhile we’ve a housing shortage & people still living with their parents in their 40s.

[@haroldfugate3396]

MY HOME FROM 1977-1982. GRADUATED FROM HEIDELBERG AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL IN 1981. BEAUTIFUL PLACE

[@philaeew4866]

I live close to the Patrick Henry Village and didn't know a lot about it. This is very interesting!

[@jeffbenton6183]

Sounds like some of the regulations should change. That bit about the solar panels was unfortunate. It's good that requirements for solar panel efficiency have kept pace with improvements in technology, but perhaps those should only apply to new panels. Those used panels are perfectly good and could be used for a different home or something. Reduce, Reuse, *then* Recycle.

[@skylineXpert]

From what I remember Lautzenhausen also known as the town around frankfurt hahn airport has the same kind of issues with these houses. Heard most of the apartments are condemned.

[@MyKharli]

Lots of PFAS issues on many bases with fire fighting practices .

[@germericanshistorysaviors1688]

Danke für diese schöne Zusammenfassung 👍🏻 in Mannheim ist das ähnlich gelaufen . Lg germericans

[@IllemDaFunk]

I grew up on PHV! Heidelberg is such a beautiful and wonderful area. All of Germany is, really. So much nostalgia experienced from this one video. I was even able to recognize the building I lived in! Absolutely wild. I'm glad to see that the Germans are doing something wonderful with the resources left behind by the US. I can't wait to see what they've done when I visit the area.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your memories! Very glad then that you stumbled upon this video and saw what is happening in your former home :) Cheers ✨

[@Tanneritefilledfido]

Wish this would happen in the USA. The government builds and just abandons buildings to eventually demolish them instead of repurposing them for housing

[@trzop42]

Most places also like to renovate existing structures but one of the main issues here is that these buildings have too much square feet for Germans so they want to obviously go through some really cutting edge changes basically to hide that fact. While it's sad to see something change and disappear that was so much part of your life that's the cycle of life and it has to happen. If it's anything like they did at Campbells barracks I'm sure that they'll make the roads wonky and very difficult to travel on and I'm sure the buildings will be made much smaller to fit the requirements of the German population

[@alicefreist318]

Unfortunately, one can't assume all buildings on old US bases are capable of rehabilitation. Many of these were never intended to be "permanent" structures. Often, they were built very quickly with little expert direction, poor (and sometimes hazardous) materials, and then they were not necessarily well-maintained afterwards. Thus, we can't just slap new paint on the walls and move people in. We do have to be painstaking with the inspections and inventories, and THEN deconstruct and rebuild for the long-term.

[@robertschuelke89]

Post World War 2 there was urban mining taking place throughout Europe and Germany. The first several chapters of "Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich 1945-1955" by Deckle Edge, describes the salvage and recycling of materials from streets and buildings. Bricks and paving stones were collected, cleaned, and reused.

[@ahorserunning]

I also grew up here in the 90s and it's been a longtime unfulfilled dream to revisit it. It's heartbreaking to know I likely will never have the chance to see it even in its decaying state. I have plans to move back to Germany, and it would mean the world to see it again. It may be a stretch, but if anybody knows of any way to visit PHV or even become a part of the project to help rebuild it, please leave me a reply!

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

In Estonia they tried the same for former Soviet bases. But the Soviet garrison living quarters did not have even rudimentary heating systems.

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

Man I should do this kind of work for a job I love taking things apart 😂

[@magesalmanac6424]

Yeah this looks like a fun creative challenge! You’re given various limited materials and have to construct a home with it. I like the concept.

[@TrimeshSZ]

One problem with this is that a lot of military or ex-military sites are stuffed full of hazmat and it's generally not documented. Stuff like lead based paint, asbestos and wood that's stuffed full of polycyclic aromatic preservatives.

[@bryantheora6741]

Not really a new concept, seems like it will just increase cost and complicate processes to now catalog everything. Tax dollars will now go to recycling many old and bad materials (not all but enough to matter) instead of making the standard for new so high that a building can withstand many lifetimes of reuse and repurpose.

[@jasenkoh76]

They should sell those flats as Roh Bau and save a lot of money and labour! All of those Roh Bau apartments will be sold in less than one month!

[@ravanpee1325]

Asbestos

[@DM-dq1mh]

Now that I hear a name for it, I realise I ( as an artist) have being doing it to some extent for years,

[@paulwatson6013]

Stuff like fridges and insulation are a tough one. Fridge could be full of expanding foam. Manufactured 'wood' like chipboard. So interesting to see what they come up with. Many non masonry forms of cladding could present an issue too. Asbestos in the buildings?

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Paul! There was also asbestos found in some buildings and they had to investigate whether these buildings can still be used or not.

[@paytonturner1421]

I like the idea of reusing old materials for new buildings. Also, I wonder if some of those ghost towns can be torn down for planting trees there and other plants to reintroduce more biodiversity.

[@Badirseferzade]

meanwhile people pay 1500€ rent for garbage apartment in Germany

[@spencer4732]

very interesting!! wonder how this could apply to aging commercial centers here in the U.S. as some cities rezone them to mixed-use

[@olivermeineke9707]

DW: Recycle all materials Reality: Bring in as many immigrants as possible

[@truenorthjess]

In British Columbia Canada many developers are giving away houses for free, all you have to do is move the house to your own lot.

[@justinefafard2355]

The problem in BC is that the land value is everything- you will need several million $ to purchase even a sliver of land to put that house on, even if the house is given away for free. 😢 but it is a good way to save heritage homes that were well- built. ❤ A lot of newer homes are just being torn down (so wasteful) to make room for new development.

[@MostlyPonies1]

I thought this video would be about keeping the buildings and renovating them for a new purpose.

[@Paul_Waller]

PHV My hometown! I lived there as an Army Brat in the 1980s.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Another empty feel good clip from German government propaganda. There’s a reason urban mining isn’t done, it’s cost prohibitive. Hiring all the manual laborers to carefully take every component apart of infeasible as human labor in the west is very expensive. Germany isn’t India.

[@diymco2728]

This is awesome!

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Happy you hear you like our reporting on the topic. We post videos like this one every Friday. Subscribe to us to not miss any ✨

[@diymco2728]

@@DWPlanetA you gus do a great job. High quality content for free! Yay!

[@bad-dogz]

I was watching this video and started laughing because here in the US the native people have been doing this for centuries. I just got back a week ago from tearing down, not demolishing, an entire sub division of about 30 homes. They had been declared abandoned for about 3 years. Out of 30 homes we will be able to almost completely build about 20 homes. Reducing the cost of each home by 60%. That equates to a $150,000 home costing only about $60,000 times 20 homes = $1,200,000 and a savings of $1,800,000. Which means we save more than we spend. Who, in their right mind, would reject that?

[@MalcolmRose-l3b]

As they said in the video it's been done in Europe well before the Industrial Revolution - if you look at old churches you'll often find pieces of Roman stone as Roman buildings were "mined" for materials.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

You'll be selling them for $60,000?

[@OffGridInvestor]

That completely contradicts what I keep hearing about the US housing industry

[@mikemainer3009]

I am not doubting what you wrote. But, I have never heard such a "tear down" project being done in the states. You want to share with us where this "tear down" occured?

[@bad-dogz]

@@OffGridInvestor We are not the housing industry. We do not do this for money. Our people live in some of the most repressed areas of the country. The houses we build for our people would not be possible without the teardowns we do.

[@tkyap2524]

Retrofit for public housing?

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! In the project visited in the video, the focus is on creating affordable housing and the plan was to have 30% social housing.

[@anthonytran7566]

I am a Section 8 person would like to relocate to Germany !!!!!

[@lawrencefrost9063]

Sure...but this is labor intensive, which takes away man-hours out of other work. This is not efficient.

[@dorotheaisserstedt9238]

Faszinierendes Thema.........

[@milliedragon4418]

I mean to be honest, I kind of think those housing is kind of cute. Anyways, I mean I like the way they're set up. And an angle like that. I mean I would change the facade. Maybe like adding some brick or some stone or something in order to break up the concrete look of it. Maybe some balconies? I mean I'm not too familiar with Germany's culture whether they like balconies or not. There's tons of US military bases all over the world and including in the US that have been abandoned. It would be great to refurbish them. It's quite sad to see no one living in them. It seems like a post-apocalyptic world. This is the kind of urbanism that I want to see more of not tearing down buildings but refurbishing old buildings and reusing the material. A lot of people talk about preserving, but there are other ways to preserve buildings other than just preserving a standing building recycling. The material of the building is a way of preserving and honoring its presents.

[@jenn976]

This has already been done successfully in several former army barracks cities/towns in Germany. Go to Fulda and see what they have done there.

[@deedee3530]

My old post was turned into a college. In Nuebrucke. I think that is how it was spelled. It was outside of Baumholder.

[@jermainec2462]

keep the fridges and stoves in the houses that silly to get rid of them

[@zoegranville7607]

Narrator: "sorry it's a bit dry but it's important" Me: gets fired up by the pie chart and the composition stats

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Zoe! Haha, glad you liked the specifics and the data. We have a video based on analysing a huge amount of data regarding air pollution 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXeZnqRoZbaCmac

[@LotusPleiades]

I hope they use passive housing techniques.

[@_gamma.]

Fascinating! I wonder if AR/image processing and ✨ algorithms ✨ could help fill out some of these databases, being able to do a walkthrough of a building and get a rough estimate would be cool

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Yes, that sounds super helpful. There is some recent research in that direction. If you want to dive deeper, you could check out this book chapter: A Circular Built Environment in the Digital Age: Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Reuse Patterns link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-39675-5

[@_gamma.]

@@DWPlanetA chapter 4 - will read sometime, thanks! Deal with a lot of GIS data too so I might peek at other chapters as well 👀

[@DWPlanetA]

@@_gamma. sounds good!

[@nulnoh219]

Asbestos. Do remember to check for that.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Yes, asbestos is indeed an issue. There was asbestos found in some buildings and they had to investigate which parts of the buildings can still be used.

[@markdaunter]

Great idea but no mention of hazardous materials like asbestos.

[@kikeb1534]

I was thinking just that

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Mark! When they document and check all material, they also check for hazardous materials such as asbestos. In some buildings, there was also asbestos and they need to investigate what to do with it.

[@nash0rn]

At 4:08 it’s mentioned

[@okwaleedpoetry]

urban mining...stop telling rich people different words for the same things, it's recycling

[@krystiansieminski8060]

? these buildings do not look like they were build in the 50's ,?, looks like the base got upgraded to some nice high standards in the 80's, the quality of the build is in commercial grade , it is build well, there was no need to redo all, the base was neglected not destroyed !! some good cleaning and renovations would do, and to insure better R-standards the walls could get extra foam and metal covers, the windows are large and commercial grade, let them be. If we just gonna up grade the R standards every 50 years or so the do we count the energy we use and waste in order to make these changes? I DONT THINK WE DO. !! and that is a pure waste of energy. TH

[@leonardolealahumada8324]

excelent