Deconstruction beats demolition environmentally and economically

Few things draw a crowd like a cloud of dust and a wrecking ball. Demolitions can quickly change the face of a neighborhood, perhaps to make way for a row of condominiums or to remove structures that are abandoned, unsafe and harboring illegal activity. Whatever the reason behind the removal, there is a greener alternative to the dust and debris that demolitions leave behind.

Deconstruction is the careful dismantling of buildings in order to salvage parts for reuse and resale. Beginning at the roof and ending at the foundation, workers remove appliances and finishes, conserve materials like copper and wood, and identify and dispose of hazardous substances. In contrast, demolitions disturb the surrounding community and, if not properly managed, release toxins like asbestos and lead into the environment. It is estimated that buildings account for nearly a third of the solid waste stream, so widespread deconstruction could divert millions of tons of waste from landfills each year and reduce the construction industry's reliance on virgin materials.

Though the process can be time-consuming, deconstruction can stimulate local economies. The nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance provides employment through its Waste to Wealth program and has found that deconstructions has the ability to generate 200,000 full-time equivalent jobs each year, provide inexpensive on-the-job training for construction workers and also be cost-competitive with demolition when sufficient amounts of recovered material are sold or reused. Donated materials can receive tax benefits.

Resourceful contractors, homeowners and do-it-yourselfers can purchase this recovered material at distribution centers like those owned by The ReUse People and the Rebuilding Exchange, which house and sell quality material to the general public at a reduced cost. Everything, from lighting fixtures to windows to old-growth lumber, is collected through the process of deconstruction.

The Community Development Advocates of Detroit have plans to revitalize Detroit that include deconstructing and renovating existing building sites. The greenest building is, after all, the one that is already built. Energy is needed to extract and process raw materials, transport materials to the construction site and then raise the building. More energy is then needed to tear down and haul away an old building to make way for the new. Preservation can conserve much of this energy, and deconstruction can conserve what can't be preserved.