Sustainable development in the building industry: an analysis and assessment tool for design of disassembly

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) has been embraced by governments worldwide and as building plays a key role in development, it is implicated in this movement. Consideration of the whole life cycle of a building is a major aspect, when assessing its sustainability. While the reduction of operating energy and the optimization of building material selection has been a main focus of research in Europe, the consideration of maintenance during operation or the demolition of a building at the end of its life has usually been neglected. Aiming for sustainability the conversation of materials and energy by applying a closed system approach on a long term time scale must be realized. Therefore building materials are to be recycled, building elements are to be reused and buildings are to be more flexible. Designing to facilitate the disassembly of building elements is expected to be an improvement for sustainable buildings. A tool for the assessment of building elements has been developed that focuses on connection selection, its influence on material and energy flow, as well as the quality of building waste materials. The assessment of material production and erection processes, using Life Cycle Assessment is completed with a qualitative/quantitative classification of demolition processes, and disposal scenarios, considering environmental, economic and technical aspects. An analysis of floor elements has confirmed, that Design for Disassembly is very promising for the improvement of sustainable buildings but that improvement potentials can differ considerably. Details of the analysis tool developed and an analysis of building elements will be shown in this article