Facade Circularity Reimagined: Recycling Brick at the “Das Ludwig” Nursing Home in Nordhorn

As part of the energy-efficient and architectural refurbishment of the “Das Ludwig” nursing home in Nordhorn, a consistently circular approach was implemented in the façade renewal.

The existing clinker brick façade was carefully dismantled and reintegrated into the material cycle through urban mining. The recovered material was crushed, processed, and reintroduced into brick production as a secondary raw material.

By specifically substituting up to 70% of primary raw materials, a significant contribution is made to resource conservation and to the reduction of embodied energy within the material cycle.

Material Transformation and Quality Assurance

During production, the processed brick granulates are incorporated into new raw material mixtures according to a defined formulation. The subsequent firing process takes place under controlled conditions, ensuring that the resulting recycling bricks meet the structural and regulatory requirements of modern facing bricks.

Key properties:

  • Durability and frost resistance

  • Dimensional accuracy and workability

  • Consistent color and surface quality

  • Building physics reliability within the façade system

Reuse within the Same Building
A central feature of the project is the return of the material to its original location: the newly manufactured recycling bricks are used again at the “Das Ludwig” nursing home. This creates an almost closed material loop at the building level—an approach that goes beyond conventional downcycling processes.

Relevance for Planning
For architects and planners, the use of recycling bricks opens up new possibilities in sustainable construction:

  • Integration of circular economy principles from the design phase

  • Reduction of CO₂ footprint through reuse of mineral building materials

  • Ensuring durable, low-maintenance façade solutions

  • Compatibility of architectural design ambitions with ecological responsibility

Conclusion
The project in Nordhorn exemplifies how existing buildings can be understood as material reservoirs and transformed into high-quality new construction processes. With the use of recycling bricks, Deppe Backstein-Keramik provides a scalable solution for future-oriented façade concepts in line with circular construction principles.

Residential complex “Das Ludwig” in Nordhorn before the start of extensive renovation works