Mikkeli has started one of its demonstration actions within CityLoops: using circular material management methods it is carrying out a circular demolition of the Pankalampi Health Care Center and the Tuukkala hospital. In both cases the selective demolition will take place into 8 distinct material fractions. To do so succesfully, a circular pre-demolition audit will first identify potentially recoverable materials and their characteristics, in order to carefully remove and separately store different component and material types.

After this selective demolition procedure, Mikkeli will digitally track the materials via a material passport. Eventually these materials will be given a new use on a construction material marketplace. Miksei Mikkeli will promote use of the marketplace by other construction sector actors, private and public, both to offer and to obtain secondary construction materials. For now, bricks (to be separately demolished in Tuukkaala) have been identified as the most interesting material to explore the reuse of, though due to the prevalence of wood in Finland, the city is looking into small scale pilots to reuse wood waste as household firewood

Both of the buildings are from the 1960/70's and the decision to demolish them was made in 2019. The tender proved challenging to local construction contractors, as they didn't have much experience with the demolition of such large buildings Consequently, currently the contractors come from cities around 100 km from Mikkeli. In the future, the procurement could be broken down into lots, with separate tenders for soft stripping and asbestos removal. That may allow local contractors to bid and help economic development. 

Through CityLoops, developer Miksei Mikkeli was put in charge of the project. Working together with XAMK university, one of its aims is to softly guide the city of Mikkeli towards a transformation for circular economy. The two demolitions are therefore approached as 'action-research' projects; The team observes and documents the processes, while simultaneously trying to push for more innovation. That should ultimately lead to more strategic changes, such as a circular economy roadmap for the city, or circularity targets for other sectors. 

The demolition of Pankalampi will end in August 2021, while Tuukkala's demolition will end a month later. These are not the only CityLoops activities in Mikkeli. More about the project's work in the city can be found here.