We are looking for solutions for the reuse of building elements in the joint innovation challenge of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

The City of Espoo is seeking new, innovative solutions for the circular economy in the construction sector. The aim is to promote business in the methods of demounting building elements and reusing them. Espoo intends to pilot and develop the solutions in the city’s own properties and possibly elsewhere in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area during spring 2026.

The Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa and HSY (Helsinki Region Environmental Services) are organising a joint innovation challenge in the Circular Buildings project to find new construction solutions in line with the circular economy.

The innovation challenge aims to:

find new kinds of construction solutions based on the circular economy and make the best use of demolition materials and construction products.
find better modes of operation, identify new circular products and circular services, and create preconditions for a market-based circular economy in the construction industry.
In its own challenges, Vantaa also aims to find solutions that in the future could extend the service life of buildings under threat of demolition, increase the utilisation rate of low-use facilities and reduce under-utilisation.

We invite all operators involved in the disassembly and reuse of building elements to participate in the market dialogue and offer us solutions to the reuse challenges of the municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The solutions to be piloted will be selected separately by each municipality through a limited tendering process following the joint market dialogue.

The market dialogue was held in joint sparring events

The registration for the innovation challenge and the joint market dialogue of the cities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area to be held prior to the procurements started on 10 June 2025.. Registration for the market dialogue was possible in two rounds: 1) by August 17, 2025 and 2) by August 31, 2025. During and after this, we have had discussions with the operators who submitted the most feasible proposals. The proposals have been refined further at the sparring events on September 17 and September 19.

You can find up-to-date information on the innovation challenge and its scheduling on the website of the Circular Buildings Innovation Challenge(external link, opens in a new window) (in Finnish).

The call for tenders is open

The Espoo tender has been published in the Cloudia system(external link, opens in a new window). You can also find the procurement description attached from below in Finnish. The tender proposal is available only in Finnish, but the description of the challenges can be found from this site in English and in Swedish. More information, additional questions and the tenders for the innovation challenge will be held in Cloudia. The tenders must be put in by the end of October 31st (23.59 o'clock) in Cloudia.

Downloadable files

Kiertotalot-innovaatiohaaste hankintakuvaus 2025-10-15.pdfFile is only available in Finnish

We are looking for a total of one or two pilots related to the reuse of building elements to be implemented as part of the Circular Buildings project. The solution offered may address one or more of the following challenges:

1. Effective methods for dismounting concrete elements or other key building elements intact and streamlining their reuse, for example:

A technical solution or operational model to reduce the costs or streamline the process of dismounting and reusing reusable building elements (such as concrete elements, bricks, fixed furnishings) intact.
Solutions to facilitate cooperation between the operators at demolition sites and new construction sites.

2. Utilising AI and other digital solutions for streamlining and enhancing the matching of supply and demand for intact demounting, reuse of building components, or reusable building components, for example:

Digital solutions for demolition site reuse surveys and developing a data model for buildings so that all information needed is available to designers at an early enough stage. The information may relate to, for example, material data of building components, attachment methods, condition, reusability, and safety.
Using artificial intelligence and other digital solutions to verify the reusability of intact dismantled building components or fixed furnishings, as well as for emission calculations and cost assessments.

3. Increasing demand for reused building components with easily implementable, replicable building concepts in municipal renovation and new construction projects, for example:

Building concepts that use intact dismantled building components from demolition sites in 2025–2026 for use by the City of Espoo, Espoo Housing, or other public operators in the Helsinki metropolitan area. These could include bicycle shelters, waste collection points, changing rooms, warehouses, or temporary/transferable buildings for day-care centres and schools.
Solutions enabling easy use of reusable components without making the site-specific verification process too burdensome.
New and creative purposes of use to increase demand for reusable building elements, e.g., in landscaping and infrastructure construction.
Reducing the need to clean bricks by increasing their use in non-visible locations.
Influencing the attitude atmosphere to increase the appreciation of the old- or worn-out-looking building surfaces

If you have solutions related to flat glass in particular, please note that in the Circular Buildings Innovation Challenge, the pilots for the reuse of flat glass (windows and balcony glazing) will be carried out under the challenge of the City of Helsinki.

The results of the pilots should be applicable for general use. What this means is that the results of each project will be public. Therefore, they cannot include business or professional secrets, and the publication of the results cannot be prevented on the basis of business or professional secrecy.

The preliminary budget for the implementation of the Espoo pilots is EUR 30,000.

Potential development environments include Leppävaara, Kera, Espoo Centre, Kivenlahti, Otaniemi, Keilaniemi and Finnoo. The trial environments and more detailed locations where the selected trials will be carried out will be agreed upon separately. In addition to Espoo, the piloting or part of it may also take place in Helsinki or Vantaa. Suitable sites will be sought during the market dialogue.

For background information and help for finding a suitable pilot site, the tenderers can use the information on the City of Espoo properties to be demolished in 2025–2026 and investment plans as well as other additional information. Further information on the background materials (in Finnish and Swedish) in here.

Companies or other organisations with a valid Finnish or European business ID may participate in the tendering process. Personnel or administration involved in organising the tendering process are not allowed to participate in the process.

Participation as a team with multiple operators is also possible and encouraged. In this case, the team will appoint one point of contact for the tender. In other words, several operators may submit a joint tender, but one tenderer must bear the main responsibility for the idea. The procurement contract will be concluded with a single supplier. An individual operator may also be involved in several tenders, but a separate tender must be submitted for each solution proposal.

Espoo wants to increase the reuse of building elements

Espoo is growing strongly. Therefore, it is important to find ways to control the emissions and environmental impacts of construction. By increasing the circular economy, we also save natural resources, strengthen self-sufficiency and promote local employment.

The reuse of building elements is still limited in the city’s own operations. We actively recycle, for example, furniture for comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools and fixtures for professional kitchens. In addition, during this spring, we have piloted the auctioning of fixtures and fittings in Kiertonet and the dismantling of bricks at a school being demolished. We want to expand our operations and find cost-effective new solutions and modes of operation for demounting structures. We are also looking for ways to increase demand for reusable building elements. Through the demonstrations and pilots to be implemented, we can inspire operators to reuse materials and learn lessons for developing municipal processes.

Although the demonstrations to be implemented in connection with this innovation challenge are one-off trials, we are looking for solutions that can be duplicated and genuinely impact material cycles through their scalability.

Earlier trials to promote the reuse of building elements have been carried out, for example, in the Kera design competition.

The Circular Buildings project promotes the circular economy in the construction sector in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

The tendering process is part of the Circular Buildings project. The joint Circular Buildings project of Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa and HSY promotes the transition of the construction and real estate sector in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area towards a carbon-neutral circular economy. The aim of the project is to support the creation of sustainable and circular solutions while promoting as efficient use of the existing building stock as possible. Its purpose is to keep the natural resources used in the existing building stock in circulation for as long as possible, both by extending the life cycle of the buildings and by promoting the reuse of the materials generated during demolition. The project is co-financed by the EU.

More information:

Tiia Tuuri

Development Manager, ecosystems+358 40 6369757tiia.tuuri@espoo.fi