Sun, 7 Sep 2025 12:39:03 +1000
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
<https://www.npr.org/2025/06/13/nx-s1-5340709/deconstruction-recycling-climate-solution>
'BOULDER, Colo. — Proponents of a growing movement in the construction industry
are asking: Why tear down old buildings with wrecking balls when those
materials can be mined for reusable materials?
The practice, called deconstruction, creates a circular economy of reuse for
building materials. It keeps waste out of landfills and shrinks the carbon
footprint of buildings and infrastructure. It's the kind of idea that sounds
like an obvious win-win. But as the built environment rapidly changes over from
one generation to the next, communities may not yet have the infrastructure —
the sorting facilities and reuse stores — to keep up with new demand.
Deconstruction and reuse industries have taken flight in the past five to 10
years in cities like Portland, Ore., and Boulder, Colo., where much of the
original aging housing stock is now being replaced to suit the tastes of a much
wealthier 21st-century population. As old homes come down to make way for new
ones, specialist contractors like Anna Perks are moving in to handle the
materials left behind.
"Our team is systematically unbuilding the structure," said Perks, co-owner of
Perks Deconstruction, a contracting company that disassembles buildings for
parts. She was hired to make a snug three-bedroom, two-bath home near the top
of a green, hilly street in Boulder disappear.
Her crew worked quickly. After the first day on-site, the roof of the house
disappeared. The siding, too. A crew wielding hammers and crowbars pried pieces
of wood sheathing off the studs and carefully sorted materials. Others clawed
nails out of two-by-sixes in the backyard.
"We've got a pretty good pile of lumber," she said. "That's all ceiling joists
and floor joists. There's a lot of good reusable lumber in there."
The workers were trained to work precisely and with patience to keep the lumber
as intact as possible as they removed it from the house.
"Typically, what happens is a bulldozer will come in, smash it all — it'll all
get trashed," Perks said. "But deconstruction, we try to salvage and recycle as
much as possible."'
Via Reasons to be Cheerful:
<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-local-food-disaster-relief/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
'BOULDER, Colo. — Proponents of a growing movement in the construction industry
are asking: Why tear down old buildings with wrecking balls when those
materials can be mined for reusable materials?
The practice, called deconstruction, creates a circular economy of reuse for
building materials. It keeps waste out of landfills and shrinks the carbon
footprint of buildings and infrastructure. It's the kind of idea that sounds
like an obvious win-win. But as the built environment rapidly changes over from
one generation to the next, communities may not yet have the infrastructure —
the sorting facilities and reuse stores — to keep up with new demand.
Deconstruction and reuse industries have taken flight in the past five to 10
years in cities like Portland, Ore., and Boulder, Colo., where much of the
original aging housing stock is now being replaced to suit the tastes of a much
wealthier 21st-century population. As old homes come down to make way for new
ones, specialist contractors like Anna Perks are moving in to handle the
materials left behind.
"Our team is systematically unbuilding the structure," said Perks, co-owner of
Perks Deconstruction, a contracting company that disassembles buildings for
parts. She was hired to make a snug three-bedroom, two-bath home near the top
of a green, hilly street in Boulder disappear.
Her crew worked quickly. After the first day on-site, the roof of the house
disappeared. The siding, too. A crew wielding hammers and crowbars pried pieces
of wood sheathing off the studs and carefully sorted materials. Others clawed
nails out of two-by-sixes in the backyard.
"We've got a pretty good pile of lumber," she said. "That's all ceiling joists
and floor joists. There's a lot of good reusable lumber in there."
The workers were trained to work precisely and with patience to keep the lumber
as intact as possible as they removed it from the house.
"Typically, what happens is a bulldozer will come in, smash it all — it'll all
get trashed," Perks said. "But deconstruction, we try to salvage and recycle as
much as possible."'
Via Reasons to be Cheerful:
<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-local-food-disaster-relief/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
