Deconstruction worker organizing recovered material.

Building Material Reuse and Deconstruction

Top Building Material Reuse and Deconstruction

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is the process of carefully and thoughtfully dismantling buildings or parts of infrastructure to salvage and reuse valuable materials. This can involve reusing an entire structure or foundation, recovering specific assemblies and systems, or carefully removing materials or items, for example, flooring, windows, and doors, for reuse.

Deconstruction is a sustainable alternative to traditional demolition. Demolition is the destroying of a structure and relies on heavy machinery, often sending large amounts of waste to landfills and producing large amounts of pollution. Deconstruction prioritizes recovering reusable materials to be repurposed, which helps reduce environmental impacts, supports economic growth, and preserves cultural heritage.

Front panel of a home dismantled by telehandler forklift — Top front panel of a home dismantled by telehandler forklift.

Cropped Organized stacks of salvaged wooden planks — Organized stacks of salvaged wooden planks being moved by a skid steer loader.

Home dismanteled by telehandler forklift. — Home dismantled by telehandler forklift.

Adaptive Reuse

Adaptive reuse is the reuse of an existing building for a new purpose, a widely accepted practice of historic preservation. Renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings can be the most economical choice with the least impact on the environment and can help preserve historically significant buildings. Adaptive reuse reduces the need for new construction materials and minimizes waste. This strategy should be considered for a project prior to deconstruction.

*Building Reuse to Waste Hierarchy by Wyeth Augustine-Marceil and additional researchers in the Just Places Lab, Cornell University.*

Deconstruction Benefits

When buildings are carefully taken apart it allows valuable materials to be reused instead of being disposed of as waste in landfills and waste combustion facilities. Traditional demolition creates toxic dust, polluting the nearby air and soil and posing health risks to the community. Deconstruction offers a safer way to manage toxins like asbestos, lead, and mercury that are often components of demolished buildings. Deconstruction helps to keep materials local, decreasing transportation emissions resulting in fewer greenhouse gas outputs. In 2018, the total waste stream generation of New York State was 42.2 million tons; the largest portion, construction and demolition debris, accounted for 46%! Using deconstruction over demolition conserves natural resources by reducing the demand for new raw materials, helping to protect ecosystems, and decreasing the need to extract natural resources.

Deconstruction offers significant economic advantages through the resale and reuse of salvaged materials. These materials, such as lumber, windows, doors, and fixtures can be removed from old buildings and reused/repurposed providing cost savings for homeowners and contractors. Many people overlook the savings opportunities that come from directly reusing salvaged materials instead of purchasing new materials. Any salvaged materials that the homeowner or contractor does not need, for a renovation or new construction can be sold for revenue, which also avoids disposal costs.

Choosing deconstruction over demolition not only offers cost savings but also creates local job opportunities in the deconstruction, recycling, and green building sectors.

Deconstruction is a valuable approach to preserve architectural elements and historical materials, ensuring that valuable features from older buildings are not lost during demolition. These materials can be reused in new projects, contributing to the conservation of architectural heritage and historic buildings. When possible, renovation and adaptive reuse of buildings should be considered prior to deconstruction.

Salvageable Materials for Reuse

Commonly salvaged materials include lumber which can be repurposed in new construction or renovations and fixtures such as doors, windows, sinks, lighting fixtures and hardware. The lumber recovered from older buildings is often higher quality than what is available in the marketplace. Other materials like bricks, metals, and stone are often in good condition and can be reused for future projects. Items inside the buildings like furniture and appliances can sometimes also be reused. If you're interested in using salvaged materials for your own building projects, you can check out reuse stores in your area. To find reuse spots in your area be sure to check out the NYS Reuse Locator Tool.

Classroom artwork painted on reclaimed wood.

Painted recycling bin made from reclaimed wood.

A wooden mermaid structure made from reclaimed wood.

Michael J. Petrides School in New York City, Chapter of Habitat for Humanity repurposes Construction and Demolition Material (CDM) wood boards to create classroom artwork.

How Deconstruction Works

What does a deconstruction project look like? There are many different steps in the process of deconstructing a building for reuse. Similar steps can be followed for renovation projects, too.

Before a deconstruction project can begin, a thorough assessment of the building is conducted to determine what materials can be salvaged and reused from the project. This includes material from the built environment such as cabinets, doors, flooring, insulation, lighting fixtures, plumbing, roofing, siding, wall coverings, windows, and wood/lumber. Other items inside the building can be captured for reuse also, including furniture, appliances, countertops, external landscaping elements and even house plants!

Most large projects require the expertise of a professional who is knowledgeable and trained in the remediation/abatement of hazardous materials and how to safely and properly deconstruct a building and prepare the property and each material for reuse. If buildings are designed for reuse from the start, planning and implementation of the project can be easier.

Non-structural elements from inside the building such as furniture, appliances, electronics, and other items identified in the assessment are removed. The removal process of non-structural components is known as soft stripping.

Components of the building’s structure are removed through deconstruction.

Materials are separated onsite into categories for reuse. Some materials may need to be prepared for reuse, such as lumber that may have to have nails removed through a de-nailing process. Some material can be reused in a new project on the same site.

Materials that are prepared for reuse on a different project are transported to a new location for reuse, or a location to be stored until a buyer or other individual is found who can utilize the items in a new project.

Materials are marketed, sold, and used in new projects! Finally, the items and materials find homes in new projects!

Deconstruction Experts in NYS

The New York State Service Directory 2024-2025 is a tool developed by CR0WD to help find Experts in Demolition/Deconstruction, Hazard Management, Salvage Retailers, Trade Courses, Transport/Hauling, Waste Handling/Diversion around the state.