A lot of people around the world do their bit for the environment by recycling as much household waste as they can. Sadly, the same can’t be said of construction waste. Often much of it will go to landfill. In some countries it is common to burn it. Both options are not good for the planet. A change to designing for deconstruction instead of demolition could be the solution. As one of the top choices for an architect in London, we want to take a closer look at the benefits and how it could work.
The issue
The construction industry has a problem with emissions. New buildings produce as much as 5% of the total for the whole world every year. The industry also consumes the largest percentage of raw materials. It is not a sustainable situation.
A key thing to look at here is demolition. It is often the go to for buildings once they reach the end of their life cycle. The major problem is demolishing mixes waste together. It can make it impossible to separate again, leaving landfill as the only option.
People tend to choose to demolish because it is quick or too difficult to remove materials to recycle. A big part of that is because the original design did not have deconstruction in mind. A change in the original approach to construction would be really beneficial.
A different way to do it
The goal should be to design buildings so it is possible to deconstruct them bit by bit to then reuse or recycle materials. It is a more sustainable option, much better than resources going to waste when a structure hits the end of its life cycle.
A good thing to look at is how everything fits together. It can be hard to disassemble buildings if fixings are hidden and inaccessible. There can be big concerns if they can’t be broken. Plus, there are also difficulties if it is a mix of different materials. A better option would be to have removable bolts or mechanical fasteners that are easy to work with.
In addition, it is a good idea to look at the sustainability of the materials themselves. A switch to reusable resources like wood and steel would go a long way. They are more recyclable than concrete and plasterboard.
Modular design would be especially great here. It would make it easier to build the properties in the first place. Then, it would provide more options for alterations, expansions, and recycling.
There are already some great examples of building with deconstruction in mind. Portland, Oregon is probably the best. In 2016 the city introduced ordinance to make it a requirement for new builds. Prior to that there were concerns about how much demolition was taking place in the city and the waste it was producing. Today the designs have to allow buildings to be disassembled to salvage materials.
Discuss your design with the top architect in London
If you want to create a new building but would like to make it sustainable, we can help. You can discuss ideas with our team and look at all of the options. It could include looking at how to build with deconstruction and recycling in mind. We can explore different techniques and materials here.
So, get in touch today and start working with an award winning architect in London. You will get outstanding results with us, whether you are creating a home, retail space, a public building, or anything else.