PATH - A Public Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology

A Guide to Deconstruction: An Overview of Deconstruction With a Focus on Community Development Opportunities

February 2000, 13 pages



Building recycling builds community jobs and revenue


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Overview:

This publication provides a general overview of:

  • The economic and environmental reasons to pursue deconstruction
  • Which types of buildings are good candidates for deconstruction
  • The different levels of deconstruction, from soft-stripping to structural disassembly
  • Three different labor strategies to accomplish the work
  • How to manage salvaged materials


If you are a public housing authority or non-profit organization seeking ways to revitalize your community, have you considered recycling your buildings?




[IMAGE: Hardwood Floor Removal]

When you demolish a building, its contents are sent to a landfill; when you deconstruct a building, its contents are salvaged and reused. The results are significantly less waste to dispose of and a new source of revenue for resourceful communities. Train unskilled and unemployed workers in deconstruction methods and you have a new supply of jobs. Salvage the contents and you have a profit-making proposition for innovative small businesses. Since deconstruction generates revenues and cuts landfill and disposal costs, it even costs less than demolition.

This guide will help public housing authorities and non-profit organizations determine whether they have the right type, number and condition of buildings for deconstruction. The guide also provides examples of the methods various communities have used to make deconstruction part of their community revitalization efforts.

Content updated on 1/2/2007

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