PIECES Tiles for New Resource Center in Vejle Made with Recycled Concrete
At the beginning of 2023, Vejle Resource Center opened with an ambition to future-proof waste management solutions. Waste is no longer something to be discarded; it's a resource that can be transformed into something new. This message is one that Vejle Municipality especially wanted to emphasize. As such, the municipality's new recycling facility has been named Resource Center Vejle to highlight the evolution of the waste facility over time—from a 1950s landfill to a container site and now to a resource center. It was therefore a natural choice that the foundation of the new resource center would be made with recycled concrete. Schønherr Architects, the landscape architect on the project, chose a new hexagonal tile made of concrete with crushed concrete aggregate from previous projects. By recycling crushed concrete into new concrete, the use of stone from quarries is reduced, a material that will be scarce in the future.
A Completely New Paving System Without Continuous Lines
IBF, in collaboration with Schønherr Landscape Architects, designed a new hexagonal paving tile made of recycled concrete, which was used for the project. The tiles are shaped with inspiration from nature's geometric forms. The tile's surface showcases the recycled initiative and actively contributes to a sustainable narrative. The paving system is produced in two sizes—SmallPIECES and BigPIECES. The smaller tiles, SmallPIECES, can be used around columns, thus avoiding the need to cut the hexagonal BigPIECES. SmallPIECES thus support the irregular angles in BigPIECES, and together they form a robust yet aesthetically pleasing series. The hexagonal tiles are self-locking and are ten centimeters high, suitable for light traffic.
Laying of IBF Big and Small PIECES
HM Contractor A/S was responsible for constructing the Vejle Resource Center and also for laying the approximately 3000 m2 of Big and Small PIECES tiles that form the foundation of the facility.
Walther Rasmussen spoke about the laying of the hexagonal tile:
"The laying process was very fast with a mini excavator. Once everything is leveled, it doesn't take long. We lay the tiles in a random pattern so that no continuous lines form in the pavement. The whole idea is that there should be no system in the laying, which makes the Big and Small PIECES easy to deploy."
