Siemens Achieves First Emission-Free Industrial Demolition

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The construction sector is considered one of the largest “environmental offenders.” This also applies to deconstruction, which can generate significant amounts of CO₂, for example, in industrial facilities. Siemens demonstrates an alternative approach on the site of the emerging Technology Campus Erlangen.

The construction and use of buildings are responsible for approximately 30 percent of all CO₂ emissions in Germany, with the entire lifecycle – from construction to deconstruction – playing a significant role. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted varies depending on the construction methods and materials used. For instance, timber and prefabricated construction methods, which offer good thermal insulation and allow for the majority of materials to be reused according to the Lego or modular principle, are considered particularly environmentally friendly. These methods are therefore suitable for so-called circular construction. In the future, the entire construction industry aims to be emission-free and circular from construction to deconstruction.

Siemens positions itself as an industrial pioneer with the world’s first fully electric deconstruction and 96 percent reusable materials. In a press release from early July 2025, the technology conglomerate refers to it as a “showcase project” and a “lighthouse project for the construction industry of tomorrow.”

96 percent recycling rate

Siemens has designed a roughly 200,000 square meter site for its new Technology Campus Erlangen, announced in July 2023, as a zero-emission location from the outset. The corporate subsidiary Siemens Real Estate has therefore prioritized strict sustainability in selecting partners for the construction and the materials used.

Together with Volvo Construction Equipment and Metzner Recycling, Siemens has successfully realized the world’s first emissions-free industrial-scale deconstruction, according to the company’s press release. Work has already begun and is partially completed.

Fully electric construction machinery is dismantling and crushing the existing buildings, which have a volume of 24,700 cubic meters. Approximately 12,800 tons of mineral recycling material will be reused in the new construction of the facilities. Among other things, Husqvarna Construction’s demolition robots and dust management equipment are being used, which, as stated in the press release, “pave the way to CO₂-low construction sites.”

Thanks to the electrification driven by Volvo CE, the deconstructed buildings will find a new life as building materials at a 96 percent rate, for example as a substructure for floor slabs, as an aggregate or additive for concrete, or as raised floor panels.

Ambitious Sustainability Goals as a Benchmark for Deconstruction

“As a company, we have set ambitious sustainability goals and aim to be climate-neutral by 2030,” emphasizes Daniel Bechmann, General Manager of Siemens Real Estate, who is overseeing the construction project. “Our new construction projects are already largely CO₂-neutral in operation. Therefore, it was a great opportunity for us to work with our competent deconstruction partners to make a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction on a large construction site,” he adds.

Volvo CE and Metzner Recycling have implemented the entire process fully electronically and almost entirely emissions-free, including logistics, recycling, and material combination. “This fully electronically operated deconstruction demonstrates the feasibility of zero-emission construction sites. The insights we can gain from this are beneficial for all parties involved,” Mathias Pfitzenmeier, VP Sales & Services Germany at Husqvarna Construction, pats himself and the other project partners on the back. “When we collaborate with leading companies in the industry, we can drive this change together,” he adds.

Source header image: Adobe Stock / everythingpossible

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“This also applies to deconstruction, which generates a lot of CO₂ in industrial facilities.”