The ROCCA Cabin rendering — a modular, sustainable demonstrator made from repurposed composite components. Source (All Images) | EuReComp project/APM
As industries worldwide confront the growing challenge of managing end-of-life (EOL) composite materials, the EuReComp project is demonstrating that circularity and high-performance design can go hand in hand. Among the project’s most tangible results stands the ROCCA Cabin Demonstrator — a fully functional, modular structure built almost entirely from repurposed composite components originating from the wind energy and aviation sectors.
Developed under Work Package 5 (WP5) and currently led by Anthony, Patrick & Murta – Exportação Lda (APM) (Lagos, Portugal), the ROCCA Cabin demonstrates the creative reuse of EOL composite materials across multiple structural and functional components (see slideshow below).
Former turbine blade tips were repaired, painted and reused as façade elements and wind barriers surrounding the cabin entrance — a clear visual statement that sustainability can complement design elegance.
A decommissioned pressure tank from the aviation sector was repurposed as a rooftop water reservoir, supplying the cabin with utility water — an inventive example of industrial upcycling.
ROCCA PROJECT PROCESS STEPS
Recovered glass fiber balsawood composites from wind blade shear webs were repaired, polished, varnished and reused across several parts of the cabin, including sidewalls, bathroom flooring and the door threshold. A custom bathroom sink was also produced using the same reclaimed composite material.
Furthermore, the ROCCA Cabin construction used a dedicated resin infusion process that enabled the integration of recycled glass and carbon fiber (rGF, rCF) reinforcements into new composite components.
EuReComp partners at the ROCCA Cabin site during inspection and discussion of next steps.
The glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane wall composite panels embed rGF materials, while roof components integrate reclaimed rCF patches through infusion processes, ensuring strength and circularity. The reinforcement parts also use rCF and rGF mats, and 3D printed naval windows — made from PA12 reinforced with chopped carbon fibers — complete the structure.
The panels were produced in custom molds and installed onto a steel structural frame, ensuring both durability and modularity.
ROCCA Cabin’s construction followed a phased and traceable process, including:
- Selection and preparation of EOL parts
- Resin infusion and reinforcement of shear panels and roof elements
- Assembly on a modular steel frame
- Final installation of windows, cladding and finishing details.
Final work is underway on 3D printed naval windows, final cladding and the as-built documentation, marking the transition from demonstrator to deployable unit. EuReComp partners see the ROCCA Cabin being applied for off-grid or modular housing; floating boathouses; disaster relief shelters; public micro-infrastructure; and sustainable modular workspaces.
By enabling real-world demonstrations such as the ROCCA Cabin, EuReComp aims to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and market-ready circular solutions for the composites industry.
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