For more information on the study of structural abandonment “Domicology,” visit domicology.msu.edu
Domicology: A new way to fight blight before buildings are even constructed
As people abandon homes the effects ripple through the community. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
We’ve coined the term domicology to describe our study of the life cycles of the built environment. It examines the continuum from the planning, design and construction stages through to the end of use, abandonment and deconstruction or reuse of structures.Domicology recognizes the cyclical nature of the built environment. Ultimately we’re imagining a world where no building has to be demolished. Structures will be designed with the idea that once they reach the end of their usefulness, they can be deconstructed with the valuable components repurposed or recycled.
Source: Domicology: A new way to fight blight before buildings are even constructed
A campaign aims to save the home of the Central Park architect
A campaign is running to save the abandoned home in Staten Island of the Central Park architect. Image: New York Landmark Conservancy
“We recognise the importance of restoring this landmark site so that it can eventually offer programs to New Yorkers and visitors alike,” says the Conservancy.
Source: A campaign aims to save the home of the Central Park architect
Owner of Homestead Princeton Saves Pieces of Hodge Road Home | Town Topics
DOWN TO THE FRONT DOOR: The stately, nine-bedroom home that stood for 96 years on Hodge Road was torn down recently due to damage from a fire, still under investigation, that broke out last July. A local shop was able to salvage some of the interior features. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
“I salvaged some mantels, a couple of doors, and some smaller items throughout the place,” Menapace said last week. “Unfortunately, the demolition happened faster than I would have liked, and there wasn’t a lot that I could have grabbed.”
Source: Owner of Homestead Princeton Saves Pieces of Hodge Road Home | Town Topics
Inside Google’s Playa Vista Offices: Haunted Stairwells, Paper Airplane Pads | Hollywood Reporter
Courtesy of Google
As if that weren’t enough to draw your eyes upward, there are several dozen beautiful wooden “glu-lam” arches that climb the walls, which were built in 1943, when the hangar was originally created (the building was used by Howard Hughes to construct the H4 Hercules, known as the “Spruce Goose,” which famously flew only once for less than a minute).
Source: Inside Google’s Playa Vista Offices: Haunted Stairwells, Paper Airplane Pads | Hollywood Reporter
15 Best Bars in Lisbon – Condé Nast Traveler
One of the highlights at LX Factory, a mixed-use adaptive-reuse complex in an old textile factory, is Rio Maravilha, a cheerful, colorful bar whose upstairs terrace affords staggering views of the Tagus River. Echoing the cool ambience, the cocktails here are creative.
Brooklyn’s Domino Park blends industrial chic with careful pacing – Archpaper.com
The fog bridge connects the entire park. When the mist lifts, visitors can see the East River below. (Daniel Levin)
According to Lisa Switkin, senior principal at JCFO, “Integrating the artifact walk with custom furniture made from reclaimed wood from the Raw Sugar Warehouse creates a unique experience where people come into contact with remnants of the original refinery and have an up-close relationship with those artifacts.”
Source: Brooklyn’s Domino Park blends industrial chic with careful pacing – Archpaper.com
2018 Crackedpots Holiday Shop — crackedpots – Sara Badiali
Crackedpots Holiday Shop encourages shoppers to reconsider the disposable nature of the season with thoughtful alternative gifts made from reclaimed materials.
Crackedpots (crackedpots.org) is a small environmental art nonprofit in whose mission is waste reduction through reuse. This year this humble organization has quietly made a stunning leap forward for the reuse industry, by opening a retail store in a major mall in Portland, Oregon.
The Crackedpots Holiday Shop carries local, handcrafted products that are exclusively made from a minimum of 80% reclaimed materials. Recovered waste materials are transformed into furniture, lighting, fixtures, clothing, accessories, fine art, and craft. Items are made from salvaged metal, glass, textiles, jewelry, assemblage, wood and plastics.
By selling only reclaimed products in a major shopping center for the holidays, Crackedpots is mainstreaming the reuse market by leaps and bounds. The ReTuna Återbruksgalleria mall in Eskilstuna, Sweden is the only other known mall retail outlet pioneering exclusively reclaimed goods.
This unique organization has less than ten employees, working part time. The operating budget is under $100,000. They have three programs, the annual Reuse Art Show, the GLEAN art show, and ReClaim It! salvage store.
This summer’s 19th Annual Reuse Art Show converted over 20 tons of waste into retail products. Since 2014 Cracked Pots has diverted 413,310 pounds from the Metro Central Transfer Station.
By Sara Badiali
There’s A Growing Trend To Repurpose More, Landfill Less When Deconstructing Buildings | WUWM
In September, Habitat for Humanity volunteers “deconstructed” elements of Bradley Center suites.
SUSAN BENCE
“You know there’s salvage in every job. It’s up to us to determine what percentage. That’s what makes people competitive,” Hosier said.
Source: There’s A Growing Trend To Repurpose More, Landfill Less When Deconstructing Buildings | WUWM
Roll Hardy: Painting Portland’s Impermanent, Industrial Beauty . TV | OPB
After years of painting his urban muse, Hardy’s images of Portland have taken on a new meaning as they’ve become a chronicle of a rapidly changing landscape. Artwork Courtesy of Roll Hardy
“It’s been six months since the painting was made and it’s gone,” Hardy said. “Knocked down and excavated. I was thinking about that a lot when I was making that work. Times are changing. The city is changing for sure.” After years of painting his urban muse, Hardy’s images of Portland have taken on a new meaning as they’ve become a chronicle of a rapidly changing landscape.Artwork Courtesy of Roll HardyHardy’s work documents parts of Portland that are slowly disappearing. When he reflects upon that,
Source: Roll Hardy: Painting Portland’s Impermanent, Industrial Beauty . TV | OPB
Historic building at Brooklyn Navy Yard to be restored as modern manufacturing space | 6sqft
Located on Morris Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, the three-story Building 127 was built to make boat parts for the Navy.
According to the corporation, the building’s ground and second floors, which has loading infrastructure, would be a good fit for a medium-to-large scale manufacturing company. With its super tall, vaulted ceiling, the third floor would be great for a design company looking for a showroom and space for prototyping.
Source: Historic building at Brooklyn Navy Yard to be restored as modern manufacturing space | 6sqft
Surfboard made from 150 aluminum cans and vinyl records for fins wins Vissla ‘Upcycle’ contest – Orange County Register
People look at a board made by Titouan La Droitte from France. It’s made from 150 aluminum cans and foam and wood scraps as recycled surfboards made from wacky materials are on display at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. (Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)
Naude marveled at the choice of the vinyl records for the board’s fins and how the creator, Titouan La Droitte, used a plastic bottle cap for the leash plug. In addition to the 150 aluminum cans, the surfboard maker from France also used split pallet wood to create the winning board.
Vissla’s 2018 Upcycle Contest Finalists |SURFER Magazine
Over the past few years, this contest has fueled the creation of some truly inventive designs. Last year, the winner, Taylor Lane, crafted a surfboard made from 10,000 cigarette butts that he collected from the apparently gross shores of the California coastline.
Source: Vissla’s 2018 Upcycle Contest Finalists |SURFER Magazine
Valuing older buildings: Architecture professor’s book argues for reuse rather than wrecking ball | UW News
“I was trained as both an architect and architectural historian,” Merlino says, “and have always been drawn to older buildings and the layered narrative of history they embody.” Her book, “Building Reuse: Sustainability, Preservation, and the Value of Design” was published this year by UW Press.
Before & After: A Derelict Ambulance Station in East Sussex, Reimagined – Remodelista
Above: Inside, a double-sided wood-burning stove stands on a large concrete plinth in the middle of the space, creating a central heat source and focal point. Medieval dwellings were often arranged around a central hearth, and Nowicka sees this is a nod to the far-reaching history of the area.
Original materials were repurposed throughout wherever possible. “The old existing roof was made water-tight, saving all the original tiles, including the moss that was growing on it,” explains Nowicka.
Source: Before & After: A Derelict Ambulance Station in East Sussex, Reimagined – Remodelista
Walt Disney – The Little House – 1952 – YouTube
The salvage man – Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin
Mark Raszewski rescues unclaimed materials from businesses when they close or renovate. Nearly all of the items he sells are from Dane County. PHOTO ERICA KRUG
When local businesses or facilities close or get renovated, Raszewski helps to take places apart (recently Mautz Paint, Marling Lumber, UW-Madison’s Agronomy research lab, and Oscar Mayer), salvaging many unclaimed materials.
Taiwan’s Miniwiz nominated for UK … | Taiwan News
Upcycled housing tiles manufactured by Miniwiz (Image from Miniwiz)
Miniwiz’s plastic upcycling plant called “Trashpresso” was nominated in the “product” category for its repurposing of plastic bottles into housing tiles, using only the power of the sun.
Guitar Maker Crafts Instruments from City’s Past
The wood he uses is white pine, is all reclaimed from buildings around the city — some famous, like the Chelsea Hotel, legendary speakeasy Chumley’s, even McSorley’s Bar. Kelly gets most of it for free. He calls the wood, the bones of old New York.”It came from those 300-year-old giant trees and now it’s been indoors for 160, 170 years, so it’s super dry and really resonant and makes a great guitar.”
The Bizarre Houseboats of Britain – YouTube
Bluetooth Tire Speaker | Recycled Tire Tube Bag | SEAL – SEAL Brand International
Every speaker is one and only. Using used tire or scrapped B-class tire, every speaker is unique and delivering you a clear and well-Balanced sound experience. Use Bluetooth-enabled smartphone to stream music directly to your SEAL Tire Speaker with no wires attached.
Source: Bluetooth Tire Speaker | Recycled Tire Tube Bag | SEAL – SEAL Brand International
Recycled construction waste: building a more sustainable future
Photo credits: Jenny Marvin
To add momentum to this process, in 2016 the European Commission published a CDW Management Protocol, whose goal is to improve waste identification, source separation and collection, and waste processing. From the industry perspective, it is essential to make sure that there are no hazardous substances in material recovered from a demolition site – such as asbestos, leaded paint and polychlorinated biphenyls – that may affect health, environmental or building quality standards.
Source: Recycled construction waste: building a more sustainable future
Grand Designs NZ: The recycled home made from Real Groovy and an old Wellington wharf – NZ Herald
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The Mangawhai home is almost entirely made from historic recycled materials. Photo / screenshot
NZ Herald
The centrepiece of the build was bringing nine enormous trusses made from the timber salvaged from Wellington’s Ferry Wharf, which was built in 1894.
Source: Grand Designs NZ: The recycled home made from Real Groovy and an old Wellington wharf – NZ Herald
Wood in Classrooms: The Secret to Better Grades? | TerraMai
Bringing nature and natural analogues like reclaimed wood into the learning environment makes the classroom more conducive to learning, which results in more productive students and teachers.
Source: Wood in Classrooms: The Secret to Better Grades? | TerraMai
Adaptive reuse project turns warehouse into an industrial-chic home | Inhabitat
All of the renovated buildings retain parts of the original construction. In 102 The Mill, these deliberately exposed frameworks are complemented by industrial-inspired lighting fixtures and minimalist, streamlined furnishings. Timber floors and warm fabrics help imbue the former factory with a sense of cozy warmth.
Bradley Cooper celebrates ‘A Star is Born’ with new townhouse
The home’s wooden floors are made from reclaimed barn floors, giving the space a farmhouse vibe.
Source: Bradley Cooper celebrates ‘A Star is Born’ with new townhouse
Would you live on this Swedish bridge? – The Spaces
Credit: Urban Nouveau
Practice Urban Nouveau has devised a radical way to save Stockholm’s Gamla Lidingöbron bridge from demolition: turning it into apartments and a linear park.
Piece by piece, deconstructed Merc found new uses across Misssoula ~ Missoula Current
Katie Deuel, executive director of Home ReSource in Missoula, said thousands of items from the old Mercantile found their way into homes, schools and offices across the city. (Martin Kidston/Missoula Current)
“One woman had a table made for her husband,” Deuel said. “He had worked at the Merc for 35 years, so she really wanted that. There’s some great human interest stories in there. People recognized the value of it as material that came locally from our ecosystem and stayed in the community.”
Source: Piece by piece, deconstructed Merc found new uses across Misssoula ~ Missoula Current
5 buildings at Fort Vancouver National Site to be demolished | The Columbian
A sign welcomes visitors to Fort Vancouver National Site as a historical warehouse building, skinny building in background, is seen nearby Thursday morning. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
“As a woman- and Native American-owned small business, RJS Construction, Inc., is beyond excited to be a part of a project that is focused on respect for history and consideration for the environment,” Chris Boring of RJS Construction said in a news release about the demolition. “We look forward to partnering with the National Park Service and Fort Vancouver as they move forward with the removal of buildings and salvage of historic wood.”
Source: 5 buildings at Fort Vancouver National Site to be demolished | The Columbian
Vancouver-based Unbuilders aims to transform how homes are demolished | Daily Hive Vancouver
Unbuildersconstruction/Instagram
Unbuilders is quickly becoming Canada’s deconstruction industry leader.Over the past year, Unbuilders has saved over 100,000 board feet of lumber and 250 tonnes of garbage from being thrown in landfills.In the most recent unbuild, just 3% of materials from an entire house ended up in the landfill.
Source: Vancouver-based Unbuilders aims to transform how homes are demolished | Daily Hive Vancouver
How to upcycle a vanity unit – Upcycled vanity unit – Upcycle ideas
The first rule of thumb is to choose something solid and sturdy to support the weight of the basin – remember that it’ll be much heavier once it’s filled with water.
Source: How to upcycle a vanity unit – Upcycled vanity unit – Upcycle ideas
ENR California Best Projects 2018 Renovation/Restoration: Alcatraz Photo Studio | 2018-10-02 | Engineering News-Record
The Alcatraz Photography Studio in Berkeley, Calif., transformed a century-old box of a building used as a Halloween costume store into an artistic space. PHOTO Billy Hustace Photography
The project team was encouraged by the client and designers to reuse and expose original building materials. The team preserved the wooden floor covered with colorful paint drips, giving the space a unique character. This sustainable approach was noticed by the judges, who appreciated the “simplicity, beauty and attention to detail” of the small project, noting that such renovation and adaptive reuse “could be considered a lost art.”
STUDIO Hehku Art and wall light made from Napa Wine Barrels by Winecountry Craftsman| on Etsy
Art and wall light made from reclaimed Napa wine barrels
In our continuing effort to be environmentally conscious and recycle (and also make more awesome projects), we came up with this fun filled idea to reuse wine barrel rings in a unique way.
Tyre Sole Driving Loafers, brown suede – Hugs & Co.
The TS1 model uses responsibly sourced components to create the first environmentally conscious piece of luxury footwear. A fraction of the energy used to create new sole units goes into preparing the waste tyre material for production.
How Adaptive Reuse is Helping Create the Senior Housing of Tomorrow – Senior Housing News
St. Charles Hospital in Aurora, Illinois, was a skilled nursing facility when it shut down in 2010, the same year the Art Deco building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
With the senior population and demand for senior housing guaranteed to grow over the next 20 years, yesterday’s offices, hotels, schools and commercial buildings can be repurposed into the senior housing of tomorrow.
Source: How Adaptive Reuse is Helping Create the Senior Housing of Tomorrow – Senior Housing News
The City podcast: How Chicago residents battled an illegal dump — and the mob
Children play in front of Sumner Elementary School in North Lawndale. Across the street, the construction dump looms. (Photo: Photo courtesy of Sumner Elementary School archive)
“I just thought, ‘Well, somebody’s just parking their trucks in there,’” said Woodson, “’til a guy said, ‘Ms. Woodson, come down, look at this. Do you know that somebody’s over there dumping in that lot?’” And they were. Load after load of broken concrete, rebar, bricks and stones
Source: The City podcast: How Chicago residents battled an illegal dump — and the mob
Stickbulb’s First Showroom in Long Island City | Architectural Digest
Although Stickbulb, the lighting brand that creates modular fixtures from recycled lumber, has received lots of attention in the design world (even winning “Best in Show” at NYC x Design in 2017), the company has never had a proper showroom until now.
Source: Stickbulb’s First Showroom in Long Island City | Architectural Digest
Book Review: RE-USA 20 american stories of adaptive reuse – UrbDeZine NYC
RE–USA: 20 American Stories of Adaptive Reuse A Toolkit for Post-Industrial Cities by Matteo Robiglio, JOVIS Verlag GmbH, 2017
Robiglio analyzed his observations and turned them into an “adaptive reuse toolkit” that can be used by cities but is really addressed to concerned citizens intent on reviving their neighborhoods. Consisting of eight steps and addressed to “you and your family,” the processes outlined are intended to chart a path of redevelopment and acknowledge and build upon the industrial legacy by emphasizing adaptive reuse.
Source: Book Review: RE-USA 20 american stories of adaptive reuse – UrbDeZine NYC
Mesa nonprofit wants tons of improvement in construction- recycling effort | Life | eastvalleytribune.com
Stardust, a Southeast Valley nonprofit headquartered at 1720 W. Broadway Road in Mesa, is partnering with several Valley companies to divert used building materials at construction sites from the landfill to repurpose and resell.
Stardust, the only building-material reuse nonprofit in metro Phoenix, has created “Starve the Landfill,” focused on sustainability in the construction industry. Starve the Landfill stresses the importance of deconstruction and donating building materials to be reused and repurposed.The goal is to create a strong community of eco-friendly contractors and suppliers that want to reduce their material waste.“One of the amazing benefits is that local companies will be acknowledged for their partnership and commitment to sustainability and the reuse of building materials,” said Karen Jayne, CEO of Stardust.
Anaviv’s Table offers high-end fare in an intimate dinner party setting — Berkeleyside
Anaviv’s Table serves 10 diners a night, three days a week. Photo: Anaviv’s Table
It’s small and cozy and has a big table made from reclaimed wood from the old Cal stadium. Just the right size for a dinner party of ten, as it turns out.
Source: Anaviv’s Table offers high-end fare in an intimate dinner party setting — Berkeleyside
Deconstruction Niche Attempts to Tackle C&D Waste
In addition, deconstruction can potentially generate jobs around harvesting, processing and selling materials. Arlene Karidis | Sep 20, 2018
“The reuse economy is similar to the recycling industry in that it creates more jobs throughout the value chain than strictly disposing material in a landfill. As the reuse market continues to grow, more jobs will be created downstream, including warehouse operations, retail, value-added manufacturing and job training,” says Blomberg.
Charlotte is converting an old Model T and missile factory into workspaces – Archpaper.com
Experiential passageways for cars and pedestrians will connect to the different buildings on site. (Courtesy S9 Architecture)
ATCO brought on S9 to collaborate on the adaptive reuse of the complex’s 12 main buildings and connect them through experiential passageways. In between each structure, the team will lay out gathering spaces for people to eat, hang out, or put on events.
Source: Charlotte is converting an old Model T and missile factory into workspaces – Archpaper.com
Power plant parts may be shipped across world – Dubois County Herald
Photos by Sarah Ann Jump/The Herald
Deconstruction is underway at the power plant on 15th Street in Jasper. The company deconstructing the plant anticipates that 90 percent of the building’s material will be reused or recycled.
“We have a tremendous response from farmers, architects, as well as collectors of old memorabilia for most of the items slated for repurposing,” a Green Earth spokeswoman said in an email. She said the company plans to salvage compressors, generators, 60 percent of the beams, electronic switches, metal grading, miscellaneous electronic equipment and the front façade of the building.
Source: Power plant parts may be shipped across world – Dubois County Herald
King County’s Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station earns ‘Best Project’ award from Engineering News Record Northwest – King County
The Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station, which began operating in 2014, is certified as LEED – Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The designation was earned for the facility’s sustainable design, recycled content building materials, rainwater harvesting, efficient energy and water use, and more.
Deconstruction vs. Demolition Seminar, Brad Guy| October 9, 2018 – Fairfax, VA
Mr. Guy is an associate professor of practice and director of the MS in Sustainable Design program, School of Architecture and Planning, The Catholic University of America (CUArch), Washington, DC. He is also the director of the Center for Building Stewardship, and director of the MS in Facilities Management program at CUArch. Mr. Guy’s teaching and research focus on sustainable and healthy materials and C&D waste, life cycle assessment, prefabrication and modular design, design to use reclaimed materials, design for deconstruction, and building deconstruction. In 2005, he co-founded the Building Materials Reuse Association, and he has conducted deconstruction projects throughout the US.
WASTE HERITAGE Symposium, Ottawa, Canada Oct 26-27, 2018 – deconstruction, salvage & re-use
The goal of this event is therefore to bring together individuals and organizations active in related areas of heritage conservation, urban, architectural and construction history, critical heritage and discard studies, building deconstruction, sustainable materials and waste management, to address these gaps and possibilities for bridging between these areas as part of projects, policies, research or creative practices.
Source: symposium overview – WASTE HERITAGE deconstruction, salvage & re-use
Bricks and more, ta: recycling entire buildings – Positive News – Positive News
An architect’s rendering of The Resource Rows
“We keep excavating for new resources to turn into construction materials when we have so many things above ground that are super-accessible. We just need to find the innovations to use them,” says Lendager.
Source: Bricks and more, ta: recycling entire buildings – Positive News – Positive News
Grain Silos: From Empty Relics to Cultural Landmarks and Luxury Hotels – WSJ
Elevator Alley is a complex of hundreds of grain silos—now filled with breweries, event spaces and more—along the Buffalo River. PHOTO: JIM SCHWABEL/ALAMY
In recent years, cultural institutions, visitor bureaus and artists have turned the elevator complexes into money-making attractions, from museums and luxury hotels to shopping venues and art installations.
Source: Grain Silos: From Empty Relics to Cultural Landmarks and Luxury Hotels – WSJ
Sawyer Yards’ 115K SF Adaptive Reuse Expansion Will Create One Of The Country’s Largest Arts Communities
Courtesy of Lovett Commercial Rendering of 1818 Washington St. in Sawyer Yards
Repurposing old buildings continues to be popular in the Inner Loop. The latest sizable one combines two things millennials love — art and breweries.
Home renovation: where to start – By Kate Wagner- Curbed
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Similarly, it’s a common fallacy that (unless you are renovating your house to passive house energy standards) new windows are more energy efficient or durable than historic ones. First, it will take up to 240 years to recoup enough money from energy savings to pay back the cost of installing replacement windows. Second, let’s be real: New windows are not nearly as good looking. Old windows are very hard to replace, but much easier and often cheaper to restore to modern standards. Finally, no other types of