Description: This book addresses the opportunities for maximising the reuse of components and recycling of materials when a building is wholly or partially deconstructed or demolished. Carefully deconstructing a building, rather than demolishing it, often allows more of the components and equipment to be reused.

The guide also reviews the processes by which buildings are demolished and can be deconstructed, the opportunities for reusing components and recycling materials, and current experience of designing for deconstruction, in both the construction and automobile industries.

Guidance is provided for designers, specifiers and their clients on the principles and strategies of design and specification for new construction works to facilitate their eventual efficient, safe and economic deconstruction so as to optimise reuse and recycling. This is achieved by considering various approaches at the design stage and indicating the best ways of considering the lifecycle of building elements, components and equipment.

Keywords: waste minimisation, sustainable construction, design and buildability, building technology, materials technology, recycling and reclaimed materials, refurbishment

Contents: Summary, Acknowledgements, Executive summary, 1 Background, 1.1 Why reuse and recycle?, Current market issues for the waste industry, 1.3 Purpose of the guidance, 2 Principles for increasing reuse of building components and recycling of materials, 2.1 The lifecycle of products and materials, 2.2 Assessing the potential for reuse and recycling, 2.3 How to approach design for deconstruction, 2.4 Ownership and responsibility for buildings, 3 Design guidance for deconstruction to facilitate reuse and recycling, 4 Faciltating design for deconstruction, 4.1 Drivers encouraging deconstruction for reuse and recycling, 4.2 Perceived hurdles to designing for deconstruction and to reuse and recycling, 4.3 Managing the delivery of design for deconstruction to facilitate reuse and recycling, 5 Experience of designing to facilitate deconstruction, 5.1 Buildings and their components, 5.2 The Dutch "Industrial, flexible and deconstructable building programme", 5.3 Experience in other manufacturing industries, 5.4 Conclusions, Appendix 1 The practice and management of demolition activities, A1.1 Building demolition, A1.2 Current demolition practices, A1.3 Material recycling facilities/waste transfer station, Appendix 2 The recycling of materials, A2.1 The recovery of construction materials, A2.2 Metals, A2.3 Concrete, A2.4 Glass, A2.5 Timber, A2.6 Bricks, blocks and pavoirs, A2.7 Polymers, A2.8 Miscellaneous materials, Glossary, Abbreviations, Sources of further informattion and guidance