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and Recycling of Building materials and components

WANDA B02/29515/09

BAR 505 Sustainable Design Programme 2013/14

Table of Contents

Introduction

Importance of Re- use of the waste materials

Factors to consider

Materials and their Re –use

Conclusion

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Introduction

We recycle everything from newspapers to automobiles, and yet we continue to pile obsolete building materials into landfills. Recent national and grassroots initiatives open the door for reuse to have a greater role in sustainable design.

By Ian Volner.

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economy, population and strive for development in our country Kenya, and all other countries really, demolition of old outdated structures will and does take place on a regular basis to pave way for structures or buildings that will better function at cater to the population in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?

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Importance of re-use and recycling of materials

The importance of re-use of this materials will be looked at in terms of

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.

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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.

1. Socially speaking local communities may identify with new projects or designed landscapes that have familiar building components and materials, so maybe these components or materials can be sourced from the old buildings and re-used or re-cycled.

2. Such practices can reach out to the community to practice these green ideas when they are for instance renovating their houses, to re-use and recycle old components.

3. Conserves space in existing landfills.

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Factors to be consideredConstruction & Demolition materials can be recovered through reuse and recycling. Such issues below then need to be thought by the designers.

1. In order for materials to be reusable, contractors generally must remove them intact (windows and frames, plumbing fixtures, floor and ceiling tiles) or in large pieces (drywall, lumber).

2. Some materials may require additional labor before they can be reused. For example, lumber may need to be denailed and window frames may need some new panes.

3. In order to be recyclable, materials must be separated from contaminants (e.g., trash, nails, and broken glass). This can be accomplished if contractors require workers to sort materials as they remove items from buildings or as debris is produced.

4. Many contractors simply use labeled roll-off bins for storage of source-separated materials. For projects where on-site source separation is not possible, contractors often use C&D materials processing firms.

5. Identification of recoverable materials.6. Longer programs to allow recovery of materials, in that how long

does a material take to recover.7. Identification of any risks to the environment or local habitats8. Assessing the impact on biodiversity, for example, ensuring that the

demolition/recovery work does not adversely affect nesting birds, bats and other ‘listed’ wildlife. (This may involve setting the program outside ‘nesting periods’ and providing alternative roosting sites for use when the wildlife returns.) Special care also needs to be taken where work is carried out in a conservation designated area.

MATERIAL REUSE AND RECYCLING Masonry, concrete construction aggregate -Pavements, roads, car

parks, driveways, shoulder aggregate, pipe bedding, erosion control, landscaping

Bricks, tiles Salvaged and resold Timber Floorboards, reconstituted panel boards, doors, furniture,

fencing, mulch Glass Crushed for compaction fill Insulation material Housing insulation Metals Remelted into secondary materials for structural steel,

roofing, piping etc Trees, organic material Compost

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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.

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ConclusionThus 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.

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