A comprehensive review of building deconstruction and salvage: deconstruction benefits and hurdles

Studies showed that nearly 65 million tons of waste is produced in the US every year from Construction and Demolition (C&D). From this waste, almost 45% can be diverted and partially converted into reusable materials. The EPA estimated that about 245,000 houses are destined for demolition in the USA every year. This paper illustrates that deconstruction offers a logical alternative to demolition. Deconstruction is a systematic and planned disassembly of building materials with the ultimate goal of maximising reuse and recycling to decrease C&D waste. Deconstruction offers a number of benefits such as reducing replacement cost of buildings through reuse and recycle, reducing the energy needs for producing new materials, saving valuable landfill space, and creating new jobs. This paper intends to provide an objective overview of the technical, environmental, and socioeconomic issues of deconstruction as greater interest by businesses and governments in this issue is emerging.