Deconstructing Construction

The world is falling apart. We are the only ones who can save it. By adopting a simple measure like deconstruction, observe how we can be the saviors.

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 You can help reduce this rubble and turn it into something new and extraordinary. New efficient building materials can also be used. These materials can be used and re used over time and hence, save a lot of money and energy.

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What Can the Government Do?

Okay. Let’s be honest. How many of you had heard of deconstruction before this blog?

Not many, I’ll guess.

Excuse the cynicism, but it’s the truth.

The government should take some measures to promote this method. The government of India has always focused on promoting the agenda of environmental conservation. And I believe that people will also do the process of deconstructing themselves once they realise the multiple benefits it will have on their life and the environment.

Rallies that promote awareness can also be held regularly throughout the cities and towns.

It’s the little things.

Teachers talking about it in school, friends telling each other, parents advising their children about it and so on.

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A new concept that’s up and emerging in India is that of green homes.

These houses are cost effective, environmentally friendly and overall, an advantage point for nature-loving persons.

From when the first green building was established in India in 2008, to now where Imran Khan, one of the biggest names in the film industry, is endorsing these homes, environmental technology has progressed in leaps and bounds.

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A Comic On Wastage

(source cited above)

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Types Of Deconstruction

There are two types of deconstruction.

  1) Structural deconstruction- This involves dismantling the structural components of building.  This process is usually done to preserve the important and expensive materials of the building, such as brick, special types of stones and wood.  used limestone and brick is also a popular choice among structural deconstruction workers as it changes color over time and it has high durability. The United States military has utilized structural deconstruction in several of their bases. The construction of barracks and barricades are usually done with used and recycled materials. These usually include adhesive, lumber etc.

  Non-structural deconstruction - It is also called “soft-stripping”, it consists of reclaiming non-structural components, appliances, doors, windows and finish materials. The reuse of these types of materials is commonplace and considered to be a mature market in many communities. We can say people are finally realizing the worth of deconstructing buildings.

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The clock is ticking. The 11th hour is here. What will you do?

image via www.advancedrestoration.com

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Some Benefits Of Deconstruction

Saving you money;

Providing an environmentally responsible alternative to demolition which keeps reusable building materials out of the landfill;

Creates 6 jobs for every 1 created by standard demolition practices;

Preserving historically significant materials;

Retaining the embodied energy used to create original materials.

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A logo encouraging people to promote deconstructing

via www.re-store.com

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Carbon Neutral

I've always admired Canada. They have free healthcare, low university charges, etc. But what really earned my their permanent respect, was the CO2 Neutral Alliance.

  A product or a process can claim to be "Carbon Neutral" when it does not add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. 

 Benefits for municipalities include

Reducing disposal costs where waste collection, hauling or disposal is supported by the tax base

Establishing additional revenue streams

Making existing landfills last longer

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by the decomposition of wood waste into methane from landfills

Stimulating local economies with new industries and employment

All these actions are essential in improving the local environment and overall sustainability of any community. If deconstruction replaced residential demolition, the United States could generate enough recovered wood to construct 120,000 new affordable homes each year. The deconstruction of a typical 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) wood frame home can yield 6,000 board feet of reusable lumber.

  And people still ask what the benefits of deconstruction are?

  When something can help the US save money, you know one has struck upon a gold mine.

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A captivating caricature

via www.reusealliance.org

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Wall deconstruction in NYC. 

via www.bignyc.org

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The Benefits Of Deconstruction

I already gave you a perspective of what deconstruction is.

  Now the question you may be asking is “How will this affect me?” (Or you might now be asking this)

It affects you a LOT.

Deconstruction has strong ties to the concept of sustainability which is basically the need of the hour. It helps in the conservation of virgin resources. This aspect helps in reducing all sorts of gases in the air like CO2 and Nitrogen Oxide. If you think that this small gesture of deconstruction doesn't affect you, think again.

Also, as deconstruction is often done on a local level, loads of times, transportation costs are lowered and you don’t have to worry about money flying away from your wallet in a very caricature way.

Also, deconstruction work typically employs 3-6 workers for every ONE employed in a comparable demolition cost. So, you have more reliable manpower, less cost, and more employment? I fail to see the negatives, don’t you?

Also, Solid waste from conventional demolition is diverted to landfills. This is a major benefit as contraction and demolition waste accounts for approximately 20% of the solid waste stream.

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Delhi's Situation

Don’t waste your food, don’t waste your water, don’t waste this, don’t waste that.

So why waste your construction material?

Do you know, over 90% of construction waste are called public fill? Public fill includes debris, rubble, cornet etc. Perfectly good materials to build some poor man’s house with.

But are we utilising it? Not really, are we?

Today, we are running out of dumping sites.

When you enter Delhi, a supposedly metropolitan city, you expect to be greeted by flowers, grass and sweet breeze. What, instead, you are greeted by is a landfill of dump. Filled with all kinds of rubbish. My cousins jokingly began calling it “The Great Dump Of Delhi” when they entered and the emotion I felt was not one of pride at my hometown.

It was of shame. And subsequently guilt. Can I do anything to help?, was the question I asked myself.

With the current trend, the ever soaring population, out future is, frankly, bleak. In 2011, the mixed contraction waste accounts for 25% of total waste intake at 3 landfills. Wow. Big numbers, huh?

So, now we’re discussed all the negative aspects and I’m a bit scared now. I’m wondering about my future. Is this the destiny of the human race?

I hope not.

But, then, what can we do?

  The simple answer : deconstruction.

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A Description Of Deconstruction

So, we've all been taught the essential R’s when we were kids. Reuse, reduce, and recycle. But have we ever thought about implementing this in our daily life? Have we ever thought about all the aspects of natural life our carelessness and lethargy is affecting? Probably not. Since, no human is perfect, the aspect of saving the environment we are going to focus on is deconstruction.

We all live in houses. Some of them are government owned, some of them are private and so on. But have we wondered what happens to our lovely houses once no one wants anything to do with them?

They get reduced to a piece of rubble.

All the precious memories of your childhood, the walls you played in, the place where your mother prayed and father read his newspaper, all gone.

Reduced to a pile of cement, wood, glass in a matter of seconds due to the ‘wrecking-ball’ technique of working. Not to mention the fact, that this is one of the most harmful methods of taking a house down.

So who is it harming? You and me?

Well, it might as well be because it’s harming our mother nature. Mother Nature, who so selflessly provides us with everything we have ever asked for, gets nothing in return as the deconstruction of houses in the ‘wrecking-ball’ method makes gas emissions soar, wastes valuable resources like cement and so forth.

Now, that I've highlighted the problem, let’s see a brief description of the solution.

Deconstruction is an environmentally friendly method which involves the selective dismantlement of building components, specifically for re-use, recycling and waste management. It usually relies on the ‘strip’ method, which means the top floor of the building gets dismantled first and the materials which can be used are made good use of, and the materials that need careful disposal are done so.

This process helps the building to not just come ‘landfills’ , but rather it gives a new value to the building, one which may be more than the previous value.

But before we discuss it further, let us explore the statistics of waste and analyse the problem.