The Re-Use Game: from prototype to educational game

Who comes out on top when it comes to building the future? Not necessarily the team with the biggest budget, but the one that uses resources wisely. That is the basic idea behind the Re-Use Game.

How the game works

Participants take on the role of planning consultancies and work together to carry out a construction project. Round after round, they decide: should they buy new building components or reuse existing ones? Should they save costs or reduce CO₂ emissions? In doing so, they categorise building components made of timber, concrete and steel according to their properties and reusability. This brings into sharp focus what often remains abstract in practice: conflicting objectives, risks and opportunities. Re-use isn’t simply the ‘more sustainable option’. It requires planning, collaboration and, at times, a bit of courage.

From prototype to finished game

The idea stems from a ZHAW project and a real-life construction project in Winterthur. Together with ZHAW as our specialist partner and game solution ag as our implementation partner, we have developed a game for inter-company training courses (ÜK), integrated into a workshop.

The prototype was tested early on and on multiple occasions. At Swissbau in January 2026, visitors were able to try it out at the nomol ag stand. At the Constructa annual general meeting in March, teachers played it on site and provided further feedback. This feedback has been incorporated into the final version.

A game session lasts around 90 minutes, plus an introduction and joint debrief, for groups of 6 to 8 people. The game is suitable for inter-company training courses, vocational colleges and further training programmes. It can be easily combined with our digital courses for draughtsmen and draughtswomen (EFZ).

Learning objectives, key details and contact: Re-Use Game