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In Finland, construction generates 1.4 million tonnes of waste every year. Demolishing buildings is often presented as inevitable—justified by saying a building has ‘reached the end of its life’,  like a food product that’s expired and can only be thrown away. At the same time, the regulations and practices guiding construction frequently encourage or even force unnecessary renovation or rebuilding, even when existing structures are still perfectly usable.

Ceci n’est pas une porte – absurd stories about the challenges of recycling building components is the culmination of the Rakennuskato (Construction Loss) research project. It exposes the unnecessary demolition and repair that takes place in the construction industry—and the massive waste of natural resources it causes. Finland remains far from meeting the EU’s Waste Framework Directive target of a 70% recycling rate for construction waste.

The researchers aim to awaken both citizens and policymakers to ask: Why are our ideals and policy goals so disconnected from the day-to-day realities of the construction industry? And how can we demand—and enact—real change?

‘In construction, even the smallest streams add up to a powerful current. Maintaining and repairing existing buildings should always be the first option. And if that’s not possible, the building components and materials must be reused,’ says Laura Berger, Research Fellow at Aalto University.