What is deconstruction?
de-con-struc-tion (dee-kuhn-struhk-shuhn)
. . . is the careful disassembly of an entire structure. We take the building apart in the opposite order to the way it was built. We can then remove and reuse the building materials including lumber, fixtures, and architectural detail. What we can’t reuse, we recycle. The remaining material goes into the landfill in much smaller amounts than with demolition.
You can see in the photo to the right that we’re part way through the process and have reached the middle of the house.
Specifically, we’re using a new technique called hybrid deconstruction, combining the use of a telescopic forklift with human labor. This enables us to dismantle buildings more efficiently and safely.
The photo on the left shows us lifting a floor panel with our forklift.
Our goal is to reduce the total amount of material that heads to the landfill and generate a source of reusable materials available to the community to make improvements and repairs to existing buildings.
The photo on the right shows building panels on the ground, ready to be processed quickly and safely.
