What is Deconstruction?
Deconstruction is the systematic disassembly
of buildings. A complement to demolition, it allows crews to enter a
building and take it apart, from appliances to floorboards to stair
treads to roof joists, down to the bricks. The recovered materials are
then resold for use in new construction and renovation projects, or
for remanufacture (i.e., turning wood framing into fireplace mantles).
Items that can't be reused are recycled - by turning damaged wood into
mulch, or cement foundations into aggregate for new foundations and
sidewalks.
Why Deconstruct?
Every year, tens of thousands of buildings
are demolished. A wrecking ball tears through the walls, the structure
is reduced to rubble, and literally tons of waste is carted away to
landfills and incinerators. Deconstruction provides an alternative,
a way to take down buildings while building local economies, creating
new jobs, preserving natural resources, saving millions in public sector
funding.