2022 CLF Boston/New England Reuse Roadmap - Manual / Resource - Page 11
Deconstruction and
Material Reuse Roadmap
As shown by the Design for Freedom movement,
understanding the social impact of our material
choices is extremely challenging. The supply chains
of increasingly composite materials are long and
complex, spanning the world. Building with salvaged
materials lessens reliance on opaque supply chains for
materials at the highest risk of embedded slavery.
How do we get there?
Start today, even with a small step. There are
many ways that designers can take immediate
action to start salvaging and reusing and making
it easier for future designers to do so.
1. Integrate reuse into your designs
2. Develop Strategic Partnerships
3. Advocate:
• Use the resources provided by Recycling
Works MA to understand opportunities
for reuse, how it can be cost-effective and
how to include salvaging and reusing in bid
documents for deconstruction contractors.
• Partner with local reuse material vendors
early in the design process when you
identify materials that may be salvageable
and of interest to them. Even better - when
possible, design products and materials from
these outlets into your new projects.
• Start a conversation with clients and
contractors about the opportunities for
deconstruction and reuse of materials.
• Think outside the box about how to make
existing materials desirable and repurpose
them in different ways without reducing their
value. For instance, structural timber salvaged
from a building does not need to be reused
as structural timber. Include ‘design as finish’
approach when and where appropriate, which
is great for interior-only projects. Consider if
the structure or mechanical systems can be
exposed and used as part of the aesthetic.
• Source and specify products that
support a circular economy. Circular
Product Design Framework | C2C
• Design for adaptability, deconstruction, and reuse
from the beginning and record how this should be
achieved through documents and BIM models.
• Rename your demolition drawings to
‘deconstruction’ drawings.
• Create a draft waste management plan for a project
to include in the bid documents which records the
reuse or recycling intent for the different materials
in the project. Include a step by step process of
how deconstruction differs from demolition for
certain materials. Often it is a small change but
won’t be performed unless it is explicitly stated.
• Revamp your specifications to include lower
embodied carbon materials and finishes,
or accept salvaged alternatives.
• Include methods of deconstruction on the drawings.
• Use a data-driven design approach when evaluating
the benefits of building reuse, versus building new.
• Prominent regional reuse vendors to consider are:
•
Doors Unhinged - Salvaged and
refurbished commercial doors.
•
Eco Building Bargains - MA regional
reuse vendor for residential use.
•
Boston Building Resources - Boston-based
reuse vendor and community resource
with primarily residential clientele.
•
The Furniture Trust - Boston-based
nonprofit offering turnkey diversion
services for commercial furniture
including donation to local nonprofits,
resale, and recycling as needed.
•
Habitat for Humanity Restore - Reuse vendor
affiliated with Habitat for Humanity with
multiple locations throughout Massachusetts.
• Aim to understand any objections that may arise
and work through them together, emphasizing
the importance of your partnership and how
you can develop goals for reuse together.
• Share your successes and challenges
with other designers so we can all learn
and move forward together.
• Don’t wait until the perfect project or case study
comes along, speak up about your lessons learned
even when you’re still figuring things out.
• Finding local reuse vendors and deconstruction
resources is becoming easier as well, and initiatives
such as All for Reuse have launched maps that
help crowdsource entities that can assist in these
efforts. One example is their ecosystem map
tool, which can help projects and owners not
only find reuse resources but also help existing
companies expand their market presence.
• Communicate with suppliers of materials that
offer take-back programs (such as Armstrong,
Shaw, or Interface) and update typical material
libraries to remove products that don’t have
take-back programs where competitors do.
• This can help identify products that are most
often replaced and start by specifying or
finding reuse opportunities for these, such as
furniture, carpet tiles, and acoustic ceiling tiles.
• Work with repeat clients, contractors
and consultants to get buy-in prior to
the next collaborative project.
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