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Demolishing homes after climate disasters can be devastating. Here's how we reused precious materials (phys.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net

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In the aftermath of the floods, many NSW homes were significantly damaged and still lay in the path of future floods. In response, the NSW government introduced a buyback scheme for eligible homes in flood-prone areas.

Part of this program involved demolishing homes, with the materials discarded in landfill or used for low-value recycling, such as woodchipping and burning. Yet the homes contained valuable materials, such as hardwood timbers.

Losing these homes was traumatic for the local community and an unnecessary loss of valuable resources. So the NSW Reconstruction Authority, Living Lab Northern Rivers, and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) explored how to recover a material that is extremely difficult to source today—old-growth timber.

link to report https://llnr.cdn.prismic.io/llnr/aigBHQeQX7-eXCXA_LLNR_CircularTimberResearchReport_DIGITAL.pdf

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[–] JacobCoffinWrites@slrpnk.net 8 points 3 weeks ago

To deconstruct a dwelling involves carefully dismantling an entire building to salvage as many materials as possible. These include removing specific high-value components, such as timber, windows, doors, flooring, fixtures, and structural elements for reuse or repurposing. Unlike traditional demolition, which prioritises speed, deconstruction focuses on salvaging valuable materials to reduce waste and lower the demand for new raw resources, thereby minimising environmental impact. Housing deconstruction and selective deconstruction approaches differ in scope, level of disassembly, and goals. Reclaimed timber, if structurally sound, can be repurposed for new construction projects.

I think this is my new favorite definition of deconstruction! This paper has a ton of good information and links to other studies, I'm going to have to rework my notes on deconstruction to include them.