Analysis of Guidelines and Identification of Characteristics Influencing the Deconstruction Potential of Buildings

Growing concerns regarding environmental preservation and the fact that the construction industry is one of the sectors with the highest rates of resource consumption and waste generation, have encouraged the adoption of deconstruction as an alternative to the demolition of buildings at the end of their lifecycle. However, the choice of strategies to enable deconstruction requires an in-depth knowledge of how the building’s characteristics, combined with the procedures adopted in the deconstruction process, will affect the reutilization of materials and components. In this paper, characteristics relating to design for deconstruction (DfD) are identified and the influence of each characteristic on the viability of a deconstruction is analysed. A literature review is conducted to assess the guideline of DfD and to identify relevant characteristics. These characteristics are then divided into the following categories: direct influence enabling deconstruction; influence on the ease of the process; and, influence on prolonging a building’s lifecycle. A number of questions are suggested for analysing each characteristic, and these can be employed in the development of a methodology for evaluating a building’s deconstruction potential. The identification of characteristics involved in the deconstruction guidelines may assist in the optimization of projects and the planning of deconstruction processes.