On the materials side, using salvaged wood products to create new structural wood products can reduce reliance on virgin timber, which has recently experienced shortages and price fluctuations. Construction techniques that rely more on connectors like screws instead of glues or nails mean dismantlers can remove materials with less damage, increasing the value of the salvaged material. For example, in design and construction of structures, modular components tend to be easier to dismantle than “stick-built” methods. This method, however, may increase time and cost, while at the same time potentially creating a vibrant reuse market for salvaged materials.ĭomicology’s comprehensive paradigm shift from landfill-dependent demolition waste streams to sustainable construction, deconstruction and material salvage will affect both methods of construction and the materials used. Unlike demolition, deconstruction is a sustainable approach to systematically disassembling buildings, which can result in up to 95 per cent material reuse and recycling. Here’s where a shift to a new domicology mindset can help. Upwards of 300,000 houses are demolished annually, which generates 169.1m tons of construction and demolition debris – about 22 per cent of the U.S. The development community gives little thought to the end of life of a structure, in large part because the costs of demolition or deconstruction are passed on to some future public or private entity.Ĭurrently, publicly financed demolition and landfilling are the most frequent methods used to remove abandoned structures, but these practices generate a huge amount of material waste. are often unable to allocate enough resources to remove blighted structures.Īll human-made structures have a life cycle, but rarely do people embrace this reality at the time of construction. Due to the scale of the problem, local governments in the U.S. Abandoned buildings contribute to lower property values and are associated with higher rates of crime and unemployment. The social, environmental and economic consequences disproportionately affect already struggling communities.
When people leave homes, the local commercial economy falters, resulting in commercial abandonment as well. reached a record high of 7.4m abandoned homes in 2012. Structures will be designed with the idea that once they reach the end of their usefulness, they can be deconstructed with the valuable components repurposed or recycled. Ultimately we’re imagining a world where no building has to be demolished. Domicology recognises the cyclical nature of the built environment.