Whenever possible, the goal is to reuse the original product with minimal processing. If you can clean it up, make a few modifications, and use it again, that’ s really the ideal outcome.
SB: What are some of the biggest challenges to implementing those principles on your projects?
KG: Space is one of the biggest challenges. The New Hampshire project worked well because we had room to stage salvaged materials. Construction schedules move quickly, and projects in downtown Boston often have very limited space, which makes deconstruction and material recovery much more complicated.
Salvaged doors and tiles were loaded for transport to be refinished and reused.
Deconstructing a building also requires more labor than traditional demolition. Our studies show the additional labor costs are often offset by savings in dumpster and disposal fees. Recyclers or takeback companies provide transportation for the salvaged materials, so our primary investment is labor rather than disposal costs.
Another challenge is getting reusable materials out of the building before demolition begins. Deconstruction requires a much more deliberate, methodical approach than traditional demolition, so it naturally takes more time.
SB: Do you think adaptive reuse and circularity have the potential to become the default approach in the future?
KG: Absolutely, but only if it’ s planned from the beginning.
Recovered ceiling tiles await transport, diverting more than 46,000 pounds of material from the waste stream.
I think the cost side will continue to improve as more projects adopt these practices. One challenge is that not every contractor approaches deconstruction the same way, so the bidding process isn’ t always on a level playing field.
That’ s why we encourage architects, designers, and owners to include material salvage requirements directly in the contract documents. If every contractor bidding the project has the same expectations, everyone has an equal opportunity to price the work appropriately.
SB: You mentioned another challenge related to architects and design.
KG: We were hoping to complete the full circle on the New Hampshire project by purchasing refurbished doors from our salvage partner and installing them back into the renovated building. Unfortunately, it wasn’ t feasible for this project.
That highlights another challenge with circularity. Architects, clients, and design teams often have aesthetic or design standards, which can limit opportunities to reuse salvaged materials. If there’ s a little more flexibility – for example, using painted doors instead of requiring a particular wood grain for back-of-house doors – it opens up many more possibilities for reuse.
Kyle Gillen is an estimator at Turner Construction Company in Boston, Massachusetts. www. high-profile. com
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