New Norwegian Standard in English – Hollow Core Slabs for Reuse
Standards Norway recently published the standard NS 3682 Hollow core slabs for reuse in English. The standard covers the process of dismantling and assessing existing hollow core slabs, in order to document them in a similar way as newly produced slabs.
The standard is aimed at producers of hollow core slab elements and consultants who design buildings and plan for the dismantling of buildings. It can be used during the planning of the dismantling of buildings where hollow core slabs are desired to be reused, and it specifies requirements for verifying the performance of reused slabs in concrete.
The standard has been developed on the basis of the work to build a new metropolitan emergency room in Oslo. This work has shown in practice that reuse of load-bearing structures is entirely possible. NS 3682 was developed by a working group under the Norwegian Standards committee SN/K 7 Reference group for the concrete area, and was published in Norwegian in February 2022.
The working group consisted of members from NTNU, Stiftelsen Kontrollrådet, Contiga, Arcon Prosjekt, Skanska and Spenncon, and the work was supported by Betongelementforeningen and Byggevareindustrien, as well as by grants from the Ministry of Climate and Environment for circular economy work.
This standard is considered to be a significant step forward in the circular economy, promoting the reuse of hollow core slabs, reducing waste and promoting sustainable construction practices.