SURLEV

Upward building extension without demolition

© Surlev

France

SURLEV has pioneered upward building extension through roof lifting, a new construction method that allows the creation of additional usable space without increasing the land footprint or requiring demolition, as the roof trusses and cover are fully reused.

SURLEV's goal is to become a leading operator in upward building extensions without demolition, focusing on two key areas:

  1. Developing rooftop properties to optimise urban and built space.
  2. Implementing ultra-low-footprint, circular construction through this innovative approach.

Current methods typically involve demolishing the existing roof structure, which results in waste, followed by its reconstruction. SURLEV’s solution lifts the existing roof, reducing costs by at least two-thirds, cutting construction time in half, and achieving nearly zero carbon emissions.

The project's goal is to complement this solution with building systems designed for on-site assembly and disassembly, ensuring the entire operation is highly circular with a near-zero environmental impact in the long term.

Value chains


  • Construction and Buildings

Expected impact

  • Waste reduction: prevention of roof demolitions, eliminating waste and conserving materials.
  • Carbon emission reduction: avoidance of emissions from the construction of new roof structures, moving towards a net-zero environmental footprint.
  • Cost savings: roof lifting is two-thirds cheaper than traditional demolition, and quicker to complete.
  • Affordable housing: the project helps address the housing crisis by enabling cost-effective vertical extensions.

EU Circular Economy Classification

  • 1.a
    Design and production of products and assets that enable circular economy strategies through e.g. (i) increased resource efficiency, durability, functionality, modularity, upgradability, easy disassembly and repair; (ii) use of materials that are reusable, recyclable or compostable.
  • 1.b
    Development and deployment of process technologies that enable circular economy strategies
  • 1.e
    Substitution of virgin materials with secondary raw materials and by-products
  • 2.a
    Reuse, repair, refurbishing, repurposing and remanufacturing of end-of-life or redundant products, movable assets and their components that would otherwise be discarded
  • 2.b.
    Refurbishment and repurposing of end-of-life design or redundant immovable assets (buildings/infrastructure/facilities)
  • 2.c
    Product-as-a-service, reuse and sharing models based on, inter alia, leasing, pay-per-use, subscription or deposit return schemes, that enable circular economy strategies
  • 4.a
    Development/deployment of tools, applications, and services enabling circular economy strategies

Project owner

SURLEV SAS

www.surlev.com