Building Materials Reuse - On Site

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What is It?

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• The reuse of building materials on site is a process to extend (potentially indefinitely) the period from cradle-to-grave for existing materials in the renovation of a building. Careful methods of deconstruction and repurposing of materials within the building are included in the process.

• Also known as: Repurposing, New Life Reuse, and in some cases Adaptive Reuse and Up-cycling.

Why is it Important?

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• Helps to sustain the environment by avoiding landfills.
• Historically preserves the integrity of the building by use of original materials.
• Reduces embodied energy significantly by using materials that are already manufactured and have no need for transportation.

When to Use It?

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• When there are any number of materials available for harvest within the space.
• Reuse of any material on site is preferred unless found to be unsafe.

Green Garage Example

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Sustainability Goals

• Reuse 90% of all non-toxic materials on site.
• Recycle 90% of remaining 10% of materials not used on site.

Strategy and Conceptual Design

Material	Image	Amount	Reuse	Recycle	Waste
Wood 2"x8" 2"x4" 1"x6"		2100lf TBD TBD	Wall Studs Flooring Partitions Furniture Features	Sawdust soil ammendment	<1%
Gypsum Wall Board		7500sq ft	Wallboard Thermal Mass Soil (broken)	Grind up and return for remanufacture as drywall gypsumrecycling.us	0%
Fiberboard		232sq ft	Protection of walls behind bicycle racks Protection of lower wall in work shop	0%	0%
Glass		?	Relocate historic windows within building Reuse pane glass for transom windows Provide glass for artist etching and painting	?	?
Brick/Block		?	?	?	?
Concrete		?	Garden retaining walls Steps Fill for truck ramp	?	?
Pipe		?	?	?	?
Cellulose		?	?	?	?
Electrical Fixtures		?	?	?	?
Fiberglass Insulation		?	?	?	?
Duct Flex/Steel		?	?	?	?
Carpet		?	?	?	?
Wiring		?	?	?	?

Resources

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• Provide valuable links to help make it easier for others to pursue this pattern.