Deconstruction
“This six story apartment building on Capitol Hill was overrun by transients and the owner requested we start the demolition process by handwrecking the structure while they sorted out final construction permit issues and relocation of the trolley wire connected to the building. From the six inch thick solid wood floors and two inch thick solid interior walls we salvaged over 140,000 board feet of old growth dimensional lumber and generated over 70,000 used brick from the exterior walls.”
deconstruction green building leed
“Deconstruction is the systematic disassembly of a building in order to maximize the salvage of reusable building materials first and to recycle materials second. Salvaging reusable building materials reduces the amount of construction waste routed to landfills and reduces the demand on virgin resources.” (City of Seattle Green Permitting site)
Deconstruction is often more expensive and time consuming than typical demolition, but it yields the largest possible salvage and recycling possibilities.
Often it is the reverse sequence of the construction process, but hazardous materials first have to be removed from the structure and a demolition engineering plan must be devised to safely and efficiently take apart a building whose components’ strengths are not readily measurable from an exacting engineering standpoint.
Before the advent of machine assisted demolition, buildings were often disassembled and the components resold for other structures. During those times hand tools were devised to speed the process and maximize the salvage. We have some of those old tools and designs, and constantly strive to devise new methods to bring modern methods to deconstruction.
LEED Certification
At Demolition Man Inc, environmental consciousness is always a high priority. We strive to stay aware of existing environmental conditions and to understand what we as a company can do to protect our environment. Rather than add bulk to landfills, Demolition Man Inc. first salvages components for re-use, and then recycles as much construction debris as possible. Many new government-funded projects require LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environment Design) Certifications. LEED Certification gives developers excellent guidelines on how to “build green” on any project. Demolition Man Inc. respects and understands the U.S. Building Council’s reasoning for these standards of excellence. With Demolition Man Inc. as part of your team, you will earn your needed and required points more easily.
Demolition Man Inc. works with local salvage stores to coordinate our work while maximizing the salvage on jobsites. Here are a few of the local salvage companies in the Seattle area.
206.763.6929
206.624.4510
206.979.9119
The City of Seattle has incentives to deconstruct residential housing, allowing a sped up permit process. Check it out here: