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Steel Reuse Is Having Its Moment

Steel Reuse Is Having Its Moment

Charlie Cichetti
January 04, 2026

Smart strategies. Sharp stories. Sustainability that sticks.

📬 Intro: When “Reuse” Gets Real

For years, steel reuse lived in the same bucket as other good ideas that rarely survived schedule, budget, or risk reviews.

2025 felt different.

Not because steel changed. Because the system around it did. Better carbon math. Clearer testing paths. Real case studies. And owners asking harder questions earlier.

Steel reuse is no longer a stunt. It’s becoming a tool.

🌱 Field Notes: Steel in the News

Georgia Tech + Walter P Moore: reuse done right
Salvaged steel from Bobby Dodd Stadium reused structurally in the new Fanning Center. Planned before demolition. Cost-neutral. ~25 metric tons of CO₂ avoided. https://www.walterpmoore.com/perspectives/how-georgia-tech-turned-demolished-steel-into-design-opportunity

Skanska on circular construction at scale
A good snapshot of how large builders are baking reuse and circularity into procurement, not treating it as a one-off.

https://www.usa.skanska.com/who-we-are/media/constructive-thinking/the-future-of-construction-is-circular-five-proven-strategies-for-a-sustainable-supply-chain/

🧠 Deep Dive: Why Steel Reuse Took a Step Forward in 2025

1) Embodied carbon finally shows up early.
Carbon targets are landing in programming and schematic design. Keeping steel out of the furnace beats recycling every time.

2) Reuse is shifting from “salvage” to “design input.”
The winning teams inventory what can be recovered first, then design around it. That flips reuse from compromise to constraint.

3) Verification got boring (in a good way).
Standardized testing, clearer documentation, and repeatable engineering judgment mean AHJs and insurers aren’t panicking.

4) LEED v5 reinforces the direction of travel.
LEED v5’s embodied carbon focus rewards outcomes, not optics. While reuse still shows up most clearly through building reuse and LCA pathways, the math now favors keeping materials in service.
https://www.usgbc.org/education/sessions/strategies-reuse-leed-v5-12861262

5) Market pressure helps.
Tariffs, steel volatility, and long lead times make local reuse a risk-reduction move, not just a sustainability one.

A MESSAGE FROM SKEMA

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🏛 BUILT TO LAST: The Steel Reuse Playbook (What’s Actually Working)

Keep the frame if you can. Adaptive reuse beats salvage every time.
Plan reuse before demo bids go out. That’s where leverage lives.
Treat deconstruction like procurement. Sequence, protect, document.
Partner with fabricators who can refit, not just cut.
Document relentlessly. Provenance beats persuasion.

Georgia Tech’s project worked because reuse wasn’t “added.” It was assumed.

🧠TL;DR:

Steel reuse crossed the line from idea to strategy in 2025 because carbon math, codes, and coordination finally lined up.

🧰 Action Step:

On your next project, ask one early question:
“What steel might already exist that this design could accept?”
If you wait until DD, the answer will always be “none.”

💬 Quote of the Week:

“The biggest barrier to reuse isn’t engineering. It’s timing.” — Charlie Cichetti

RETROFIT THIS 🖼️

🔧TOOLS DOWN

Steel reuse isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about discipline.

Plan earlier. Coordinate harder. Document better.
The teams doing that are quietly cutting carbon without blowing up jobs.

✍️ Brian Bollinger, our Head Writer, helps sustainability pros connect the dots among best-in-class results, resilience and innovation.

🌍️ Charlie Cichetti, our Fearless Leader and LEED Fellow, has guided >150,000 professionals in building careers that adapt—and thrive—through change.

Let’s Green Up together.

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