EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Report on the Feasibility of Deconstruction is a study of the feasibility of using deconstruction as a vehicle for economic development. Deconstruction is building disassembly of both the structural and non-structural components and material salvage. Deconstruction involves carefully taking apart sections of a building or removing their contents with the primary goal of reuse. This report is a qualitative investigation of deconstruction-related activity in primarily four cities: Miami, El Paso, Milwaukee, and Nashville. The four cities provide broad data on the nature of deconstruction on a national level. These cities provide information that is suggestive of conditions or patterns affecting deconstruction activity in other metropolitan areas.
Deconstruction is being used, on a limited scale, as an economic development tool. Deconstruction may create job training and job opportunities for unskilled and unemployed workers. Towards this end, deconstruction has been incorporated as a component of workforce development training to enhance the skills and marketability of program participants towards construction-related employment. Deconstruction may also create small businesses to handle the salvaged material from deconstruction projects. Further, older properties in some communities may provide useful structural and nonstructural building materials. Deconstruction, where it has been used, diverts these materials from landfills into productive, profitable reuse in building maintenance, renovation, and other applications.
Deconstruction practices and used building material markets were present in the four cities. The majority of deconstruction-related activities are small, often informal, and limited by an inconsistent supply of recovered building materials. Deconstruction has been incorporated into renovation and remodeling projects by private sector contractors and non-profit organizations. Some private deconstruction operations subcontract their services to demolition contractors; however, this practice was widely described as a highly competitive market with minor growth potential. Non-profit organizations have had some success working in the field of deconstruction due to grant funding and the
ability to provide tax deductions to building owners for salvaged materials. Non-profit Used Building Material Retail Operations (UBMROs) are an emerging market nationwide, although most individual stores operate at a small-scale level. The economic strength of UBMROs, both private and non-profit, varies depending on local and regional conditions.
The feasibility of deconstruction as an economic development vehicle depends on the type of deconstruction activity and the market for recovered materials. In this report, two different types of deconstruction activity were identified: non-structural and structural deconstruction. Non-structural deconstruction, i.e., the salvaging of non-structural components and materials such as flooring, cabinetry and appliances, is a mature industry with consistent used building material markets in multiple regions across the United States. Structural deconstruction, which consists of salvaging structural components such as joists and beams, can be described as an emerging market.
Non-structural deconstruction supports small Used Building Material Retail Operations (UBMROs), many of which are located in or near disadvantaged communities. A diverse group of construction industry participants were found to perform non-structural deconstruction activities, including building maintenance, renovation, and demolition. Non-structural deconstruction is not reliant on public sector initiatives or demolition activities to exist; however, public sector incentives can assist in the development of this industry.
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Policy Development and Research
136 pages
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