FY2002 OSWER Innovation Pilot Results Fact Sheet

v>EPA

Building Deconstruction and
Design for Reuse

The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response initiated a series of innovative pilot projects to test
ideas and strategies for improved environmental and public health results.
This series of fact sheets highlights the innovative approaches, results, and
environmental and economic benefits from the pilot projects that may be
replicated across various sectors, industries, communities, and regions.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/INNOVATION

EPA awarded an Innovation grant to the University of
Florida's Powell Center for Construction and the Environment
to demonstrate the environmental and economic value of
deconstruction and design for reuse principles in construction
projects. The project was innovative because it simultaneously
focused on the front and back end of the building lifecycle. This
approach addressed how to manage the enormous stock of
existing buildings at the end of their lifecycle and new building
design by integrating deconstruction and reconstruction in a
single project.

BACKGROUND

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the
construction industry consumed 60 percent of the materials flow
in the U.S. economy (excluding food and fuel). As of 2004, the
amount of construction space in the U.S. was expected to grow
to nearly 430 billion square feet by 2030—which included the
replacement of more than 25 percent of structures that existed in
2000. Preliminary estimates from the EPA showed that building-
related projects in the U.S. alone generated an estimated 160
million tons of construction and demolition (C&D) materials
every year. In 2003, approximately 40 percent of this material
was reused, recycled, or sent to waste-to-energy facilities, while
60 percent was sent to C&D landfills. The continued use of
virgin materials for construction consumes enormous amounts
of materials and energy, while continued disposal of building
materials uses landfill space and buries potential resources
rather than extracting their value for productive reuse. Both the
upstream and downstream impacts of these practices increase
the emissions of greenhouse gases—from the loss of forests
as carbon sinks, the burning of fossil fuels from virgin material
extraction and manufacturing, and the release of methane from
landfills.

In response to these issues, a deconstruction industry has
emerged, Deconstruction is "the disassembly of buildings so as
to safely and efficiently maximize the reuse and recycling of their
materials." While cherry-picking the highest-value materials is
standard demolition practice, deconstruction aims to increase

• 44 percent of the total mass of the Wesley House was
recovered by deconstruction, 20 percent of which was
reused in the construction of the Reichert House.

•	8.84 tons of materials were diverted from landfills.

•	By reusing recovered materials, this project minimized
energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding
9,83 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalents (MTCO2E) of
greenhouse gas emissions.

•	GRU distributed a project flyer to 53,000 households
educating its customers about the energy benefits of
recycling and reuse.

reuse options by pushing materials salvage beyond the usual
windows, doors and light fixtures to include flooring, siding,
roofing and framing. In some cases, deconstruction can yield
items that are no longer commercially available, such as the old-
growth Douglas fir and redwood lumber recovered from closing
military bases.

To succeed, deconstruction needed to be developed to the point
at which industry and policy makers recognized it as an intelligent
and economically viable alternative to demolition, Innovative
demonstration projects were needed to prove the value and
feasibility of deconstruction and building material reuse.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The Wesley House in Gainesville, Florida was a 1,933 square
foot single-family residence built in 1930. Its abandoned and
deteriorating condition threatened to attract negative elements
to the community. The Gainesville Regional Utility (GRU), whose
offices and main parking lot were located on either side of the
Wesley property, bought the abandoned home so that they could
remove it and make room for a planned office facility expansion.

At the same time GRU was considering demolishing the Wesley
House, Gainesville's Black-on-Black Crime Task Force was
preparing to design and build the Reichert House, a new facility


-------
for at-risk youth, and was greatly in need of support. Members
of University of Florida's Powell Center for Construction and
Environment (PCCE) saw an opportunity to serve the needs of
both of these projects by linking them together.

In March 2003, PCCE members deconstructed the Wesley
House. Material recovery and disposal were recorded and
incorporated into a comprehensive study documenting the
environmental and economic value of deconstruction and design
for reuse principles. The reusable materials recovered from the
Wesley House were incorporated into the construction of the
Reichert House.

RESULTS

Deconstruction of the Wesley House proved five percent less
expensive than the conventional demolition estimate. Aside
from that specific cost savings, 44 percent of the total mass of
the Wesley House was salvaged for reuse, 20 percent of which
was used to construct the new Reichert House—diverting 8.84
tons of material from landfills. Overall, the project avoided 41.77
Million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) of energy use, 2.68
Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent (MTCE) of greenhouse gas
emissions, and 9.83 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalents (MTCO2E)
of greenhouse gas emissions. When applying the pilot findings
to the approximately 258,715,000 square feet of single-family
residential units demolished each year, it was estimated that
deconstruction could result in the avoidance of 546,000 metric
tons of GHG carbon equivalent, 2.054 million metric tons of GHG
carbon dioxide equivalent, and 8.71 million MMBTUs of energy
use per year.

As part of the educational component of this project, PCCE
conducted a training workshop for students interested in learning
about deconstruction. The pilot also showcased lessons learned
and highlighted issues common to deconstruction and salvaged
materials reuse, in the hopes of helping communities and public
and private organizations replicate its efforts. Some of those
issues and lessons learned included:

•	While higher-quality wood materials from older buildings are
preferred, they have inherent problems of decay and insect
damage, particularly in the Southeastern U.S.

•	Older wood-framed and clad buildings built before 1978 are
likely to contain lead-based paint, the reuse of which is less
cost-effective due to the cost of paint removal.

•	Although there may be a perception that the goals of
deconstruction are not compatible with the goals of historical
preservation, they can be complementary because the value
of an aging house can be realized in new ways.

•	Problems to overcome include aesthetic concerns over

Lead: University of Florida's Powell Center for Construction

and the Environment
Sponsors: U.S. EPA Office of Resource Conservation and
Recovery and U.S. EPA Region 4

Other Partners:

•	Black-on-Black Crime Task Force

•	Gainesville Police Department

•	Gainesville Regional Utilities

OSWER Innovation Projects:

www.epa.gov/oswer/iwg/pilots/

OSWER Innovation Deconstruction Success Story:

www.epa.gov/oswer/iwg/

EPA Construction and Demolition Material -
Deconstruction and Reuse:

www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/imr/cdm/reuse.htm

EPA Region 4 Construction and Demolition Debris:

www.epa.gov/region4/waste/rcra/cdhome.htm

Lifecycle Building Challenge - Resources:

www.lifecyclebuilding.org/resources.php

mixing old and new materials and ensuring an adequate
supply of salvaged materials to enable their reuse.

• Design for reuse can reduce the use of raw materials,
reduce C&D waste disposal, and result in creative
approaches to reusing salvaged materials.

2010 UPDATE

This pilot and other deconstruction-related projects in EPA
Region 4 built the foundation for the Construction and
Demolition (C&D) initiative within U.S. EPA's Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery. The deconstruction and building
material reuse practices documented by the pilot became a
model for the State of Florida, and the pilot continues to be one
of the most frequently requested studies from stakeholders
seeking to initiate a deconstruction project. It also served as
a primary body of knowledge for the Lifecycle Construction
Resource Guide developed by EPA, a document that advances
the concept of deconstruction by demonstrating the economic
and technical feasibility of such practices.

A	United States

Environmental Protection
* m Agency

OSWER Innovation Pilot Results Fact Sheet — July 2010
Building Deconstruction and Design for Reuse


-------