Abstract Outline for Research of Designning to Disassemble

Designing to Disassemble
Hailey Beliveau
Thompson Rivers University, Architectural & Engineering Technologies
Kamloops, B.C.

The basis of this research is to understand and provide clear information on how designing to disassemble in building construction and design reduces construction waste, going into the depth of the process involved in designing to disassemble. Written documents and working drawings will be produced throughout the following year of an already existing commercial building.
Commercial buildings are more likely to be changed or replaced to suit the needs of a new tenant or need more frequently than residential homes, therefore, making them large contributors to the issue of construction waste, or demolition, landclearing and construction (DLC), that consumes approximately 35% of our landfills in British Columbia. Designing buildings to later disassemble them greatly reduces the amount of waste produced from renovations and demolitions of buildings. Recycling previously used construction products does help decrease the carbon footprint left from a construction project but this research paper looks further into making the best use of what has already been produced. Designing to disassemble makes best use of the construction materials in their initial state and reduces not only waste but harmful emissions, effects on our environment and costs of breaking down materials to re-produce new but similar products of the same composition.
Although a great benefit to our environment, the common argument of initial increased costs and more involved labour during construction and demolition is an issue when persuading humanity to replace traditional methods with new techniques. The research will consider the disadvantages in designing to disassemble and attempt to present benefits that will over power the reasons why the method may not be a suitable idea.
The research will look at what the effects and methodology are of designing to disassemble in comparison to traditional design and construction. Working plan and detail drawings will be produced and compared to the already formed drawings of a industrial style commercial building located in British Columbia, therefore making the comparisons between the two more realistic and accurate. The drawings and research will be performed as if a building were to be constructed from the end result, taking into consideration British Columbia Building Code 2006 requirements.
Although research is still in it’s initial stage of development, the goal of the results is to provide information and a better understanding on how to reduce DLC waste through the process of designing to disassemble.

Estimated Waste Generated for Metro Vancouver Region

The data for this graphic is based on the information found in the "Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Management Strategies with a Zero Waste Objective - Study Of Solid Waste Management System in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia". Information is current as of June 2009 and prepared by Sound Resource Management Group, Inc., Olympia, WA for Belkorp Environmental Services Inc., Vancouver, B.C. .

A link to the online document is included in the reference list to the left. I haven`t had a chance to fully read this document as it's a bit lengthy and hard off for time lately, but I am planning to read it and post what I've learned from it.

MSW - Municipal Solid Waste
DLC - Demolition, Landclearing, and Construction

Revised Thesis

With some help from the class I've revised my thesis to ask: " How does designing to disassemble reduce waste through the process of re-using materials in their initial state repeatedly?"

Applied to Residential Design

Although I plan on doing commercial this source about a residential application to the method I'm researching interested me and has some good descriptive drawings. Please click the picture to check it out!

Thesis Statement

I'm still trying to perfect it but my general thesis thus far is to explore and prove with information from unbiased sources how waste is decreased in designing to disassemble. As well as, exploring the benefits and problems that arise when implemented. Basically, how would design to disassemble effect what we currently do in design, construction, use and demolition/disassembling in a commercial building?
I plan on applying the research into the re-design of an already constructed "big box store" commercial building, the most commonly used short-term occupancy building.

What are the benefits of Designing to Disassemble?

Designing a building to later disassemble it may sound like more work and hassle than it's worth, but with resources worldwide diminishing we all need to plan for the future and make the best use of what we have available now. Aside from the obvious benefits to our environments, costs to repair parts of a building would be decreased. Instead of having to perform extensive repairs and replace large sections, a small panel or portion might just need to be changed. The needs of buildings often change sometimes requiring involved renovations to fit the new occupancy's needs. With designing to disassemble techniques a contractor could implement the new design by unbolting and changing the current panels and components of the building to rearrange and suit the new use.

Revised Proposal Submitted for U-Reap Scholarship Program

Designing for Disassembly

Summary Statement
With the impacts of environmental hazards from our traditional life style beginning to show, thinking green is becoming typical. A large amount of the waste consuming our landfills is from construction, demolition and renovation waste, designing to disassemble is an effective way to eliminate as much of that waste as possible through the re-use of materials elsewhere.
Purpose
Designing for disassembly is an innovative approach to building design in which buildings are being designed and constructed so they may be disassembled when the time comes for demolition allowing them to be reconstructed elsewhere. Instead of the traditional method of adding the old demolition waste to our landfills, a building designed to be disassemble would take the individual components of a building and re-use them to construct a new building.
Goals and Objectives
The research aims to:
- study the amount of waste that is a result of different variations of construction and demolition and gain an understanding of the impact on land-fills and environment,
- take a comprehensive look into the green building and renovation practice with focus on reducing the amount of waste from the “greener” method,
- research the methods and materials that would be best suited for a designing to disassemble building,
- and prepare a cost estimate, set of architectural drawings, and viable information source for the designing to disassemble process.

Methodology and Analytical Approach
Throughout the next calendar year, the research will pursue articles and studies already produced; including contacting professionals to gather opinions, experiences and predictions of the designing to disassemble approach. A new design of an already existing commercial building will be produced and compared with the traditional design, comparing factors of the project such as: cost, time, availability, strength and durability in the short and long term. The focus of the research will be based on a Canadian environment but will explore a broad range of information and examples from countries around the world.
The research will also analyze: when, where and how a designing to disassemble concept would be most and/or least effective; and compare traditional methods of design and construction with designing to disassemble methods.






Previous Studies
With the growing awareness and concern for our eco-system the earth-friendly/green approach to buildings is becoming more main stream. Even with home renovations, the Canadian Government is recognizing the need for change with rebates for home owners performing green home renovations. Studies of new concepts are on the rise, exploring new methods and materials from what we already have available in order to obtain the same quality of life with less pollution and waste. Many areas in Europe are already realizing how limited we are in our resources and are making appropriate changes, such as designing to disassemble, making them excellent sources for studies and examples. The references that have been citied on the following page are some good quality examples of studies well underway.
Plans for Dissemination
The results of the research will be broadcast with the use of an internet blog that will be updated with the research results on a regular basis. Once the research is complete an applied research report will be composed in the upcoming English 285 course of the Fall 2010 semester of the ARET Program. Concluding with a poster presentation at the TRU annual undergraduate student research conference.