Deconstruction

Deconstruction, also known as “construction in reverse,” or “unbuilding,” is the process of disassembling the components of a building for the purposes of re-use and recycling.
 * Deconstruction:**


 * Types of Deconstruction:**[i]****

1.) Selective Deconstruction (also known as “soft strip” or “skim”) • Going in before demolition and removing easy, high-value materials such as solid, paneled interior doors; lighting fixtures; “wavy” glass windows; or maybe even hardwood flooring. 2.) Whole-House Deconstruction • includes soft-stripping but goes further to take apart and salvage the structure: framing lumber, sheathing, even bricks.

In general, buildings exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics are likely to be good deconstruction candidates: • //Wood-framed// with heavy timbers and beams, or with unique woods such as douglas fir, American chestnut, and old growth southern yellow pine • //Constructed with specialty materials// such as hardwood flooring, multi-paned windows, architectural mouldings, and unique doors or plumbing/electrical fixtures • //Constructed with high-quality brick// laid with low-quality mortar (to allow relatively easy break-up and cleaning) • //Structurally sound//, i.e., generally weather-tight to minimize rotted and decayed materials.
 * Types of Buildings That Are Easily Deconstructed**[ii]**:**

• Deconstruction allows older buildings to be used as a material resource while also clearing space for necessary new development. In addition this means that a new building will contain elements of something that previously existed in the same locale, creating a connection between old and new and helping to ensure that newer development fits into its surroundings. • Deconstructing instead of demolishing a house has environmental benefits. Deconstruction “saves landfill space, reduces the pollution and energy consumption associated with manufacturing and production of new materials, and it can reduce site impacts in terms of dust, soil compaction, and loss of vegetation or ground cover.” [iii] • Incorporating re-used materials into a new building can result in the granting of up to seven LEED credits by the United States Green Building Council.
 * Advantages:**

• Deconstruction, a time- and labor-intensive process, can be expensive when compared to demolition.
 * Drawbacks:**

• LiveWorkHome, a 2010 infill project in Syracuse, NY, took advantage of deconstruction-sourced wood from the site’s previous building to form the new house’s floors and cabinets. [iv]
 * Examples:**

• Tyer Temple Methodist Church, Tampa, Fl. • In a good example of selective deconstruction, over five tons of material--including doors, windows, and etched glass transoms--was salvaged from the original structure prior to the century-old church’s renovation into offices and loft apartments. [v]

• Harvesting wood from college-owned forests is a step towards more sustainable building practices, but getting those same materials from already-existing structures would be even more environmentally efficient. • Even on a smaller scale, re-using hardware from Middlebury-area buildings would be a nice way of emphasizing the local roots of our specific house. • Deconstruction provides yet another way for us to create a link with the greater Middlebury community.
 * What We can Learn**:


 * Useful Links:**

Deconstruction Institute

http://www.DeconstructionInstitute.com/index.php

“United Villages: A Case Study on Building Materials Reuse in Portland, Oregon”

http://www.findaforeclosurecounselor.org/network/pubs/studies/documents/Building_Materials_Reuse_Oregon.pdf

“A Guide to Deconstruction”

http://www.deconstructioninstitute.com/files/learn_center/45762865_guidebook.pdf

[i] Peter Yost, “ Deconstruction Versus Demolition,” Green Building Advisor, 24 August 2010. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-communities/deconstruction-versus-demolition [ii] “A Guide to Deconstruction,” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, http://www.huduser.org/Publications/PDF/decon.pdf [iii] Ibid., 1. [iv] “Live Work Home By Cook + Fox Architects,” Mo Co Design, http://mocoloco.com/fresh2/2011/11/21/live-work-home-by-cookfox-architects.php [v] “Case Studies: Tyer Temple Methodist Church Deconstruction,” Deconstruction Institute, http://www.DeconstructionInstitute.com/casestudy.php?cas_ID=43