Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Recycling of
Building
BAR 505 Sustainable
Design Programme materials and
2013/14
components
PASCAL WANDA
B02/29515/09
Paskall wanda
Table of Contents
Introduction
Importance of Re- use of the waste materials
Factors to consider
Materials and their Re –use
Conclusion
1
Introduction
In many urban areas, suburbs and towns, we can see new houses, housing
developments, office blocks, factories being built. Renovation and urban renewal
projects are just as common. And these projects all generate waste.
Due to the growing demands of a growing economy, population and strive for
development in our country Kenya, and all other countries really, demolition of old
outdated structures will and does take place on a regular basis to pave way for
structures or buildings that will better function at cater to the population in question.
We thus will be producing a lot of non-biodegradable waste from the likes of
concrete to glass and at times risky materials like asbestos.
One of the fundamental aspects of sustainable design is a focus on getting more out
of the resources we use. Be it energy, water, materials, components, whole buildings
or urban infrastructures, we need to get more useful service from the resources we
put in. At present we have a mentality of consumerism which leads to massive use of
nonrenewable, primary resources, which are often extracted with great
environmental damage, and create a huge amount of waste.
DR. MARK GORGOLEWSKI. (Ontario Architects Association, OAA)
Talking sustainability, we really have to find the best way to deal with this waste. Can
we perhaps re-use and recycle some of this waste in new building projects and
landscaping projects.
Nature is the best teacher, we see nothing really can be termed as waste in nature
everything in an eco-system is used somehow, and thus we have to emulate this. For
instance a demolished steel beam could show up a tin can today and a few years
later as a beam again, who knows?
2
Importance of re-use and recycling of
materials
Economic importance
Environmental importance
Social importance
Economic Importance
Existing buildings and infrastructure are a huge store of potential resources, not
something to be thrown away. A starting point for any project should be – can we
reuse and adapt an existing building? Demolition should be a last resort, and even
then, can we reuse components from an old building into a new structure avoiding
the use of new materials? This preserves much of the value of the components and
minimizes reprocessing that is often required when materials are recycled. Therefore
can we save on acquiring new materials thus save on money, can we save fuel costs
by having to not transport the new materials by simply re-using the “waste” from the
demolished building, conserving the embodied energy that has been invested in the
construction of the existing buildings.
Comparisons suggest that the embodied energy saved from renovating an older
building rather than building new can be equivalent to 10 to 25 years of operating
energy use.
DR. MARK GORGOLEWSKI.
So in essence the more we can re-use and recycle when doing renovations or
completely new projects the more money we can potentially save in terms of
finances. It would thus be very important for the architect to consider this as he
grapples with the intricacies of design to help lower the potential cost and make the
client happy in the process by saving his/her money.
Environmental Importance.
This is a very straight forward concern when it comes to reuse and recycling of
building components.
3
1. The most important is reduction of eye sore. The demolished materials if left
as is when demolished can be a real eyesore. Even when dumped in
designated dumping site it simply adds on the existing eyesore, this is not a
sustainable way to things.
2. Next is the fact that some building components maybe toxic like asbestos and
it would do well to find ways in which such materials can be put to use to
avoid dumping toxic products at garbage sites.
3. Letting the earth breathe, demolished materials when left on the bare ground
can deal a blow to the existing mini-ecosystem, this maybe in terms killing
grass by cutting access to sunlight etc.
Social Importance
We should remember that sustainability is more than just about green technologies;
it also encompasses local community issues.
4
Factors to be considered
Construction & Demolition materials can be recovered through reuse and recycling.
Such issues below then need to be thought by the designers.
5
Metals Remelted into secondary materials for structural steel, roofing, piping
etc
Trees, organic material Compost
Plastics Secondary materials for playgrounds, park benches etc
Paper, cardboard Mulch, compost, animal bedding, newsprint, egg cartons,
packaging
Fittings (baths, toilets, sinks) Salvaged and resold.
Some terms
Re-use - Many materials can be salvaged from demolition and renovation sites and
sold, donated, stored for later use, or reused on the current project. Contractors can
avoid the cost of removal by allowing private companies to salvage materials from
the site.
Organizations that have space may want to consider storing high-value materials for
later projects. Many building materials may be reusable during renovation projects
and projects where a new building is built following the demolition of another.
Typical materials suitable for reuse include plumbing fixtures, doors, cabinets,
windows, carpeting, bricks, light fixtures, ceiling and floor tiles, wood, HVAC
equipment, and decorative items (including fireplaces and stonework).
Recycle - Recycling entails extraction and some level of processing for the
component in question to be used again. It’s often easiest during construction
projects as opposed to demolition and renovation projects. During construction,
crews can source separate materials as debris is produced. Demolition and
renovation project materials often consist of mixed materials and require on- or off-
site sorting. Typical materials recycled from building sites include metals, lumber,
asphalt, concrete, roofing materials, corrugated cardboard, and wallboard.
6
Conclusion
Thus we have seen simply a handful of ways in which a building can “live on” despite
it being demolished or renovated. The economic benefits to this are profound
especially for the client. The designers will have to be creative when it comes to this
venture of re-use and recycling, a lot of research in also vital to see it through.