Concrete accounts for 8% of the world's CO₂ emissions. Efforts are being made to reduce its embodied carbon, but reusing concrete from existing buildings has significant untapped potential.

This study presents an innovative digital workflow for predicting the lifespan of concrete elements, CO₂ uptake via natural carbonation and embodied carbon savings through reuse. The workflow was tested in a building from the 1960s with high reuse potential. 

It found that most precast elements would last long enough to be reused effectively and that reuse is better for the environment than carbonation.

The digital workflow is useful for quickly assessing lifespan, carbonation and embodied carbon of concrete. It is a useful tool when designing for reuse.