By the year 2030, due to scaling up and farming intensification, there will be ca. 4.200.000m2 of empty agricultural buildings, in the Province of Noord-Brabant. To re-purpose the area they stretch across, all of them will face demolition. The materials that would be lost in the process must be reused!

Together with a farm currently facing this transition, we conducted a pilot project, focusing on wood sourced from the construction elements. It was impossible to be reused in its current condition, because of saturation with ammonia and a strong pungent odor from pork manure.

With circular partners we found a potential in thermal treatment of the wood: during this process, there are no chemicals used and the result is a product that can be applied outdoors as maintenance-free cladding. Its properties improve in strength, durability and appearance, and the technology exists and is already being applied. Using all the reclaimed material we could cover a new group accommodation complex with a swimming pool, which we proposed as the new function for the farm.