Side view of part of the old Banks school. Photo via Jeff E. Newman
In plain English, the City’s looking for just the right developer who can buy the property as is and develop it into something fabulous.
All posts by guttercherry
Deconstructing the Legendary New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel
“We are already selling pieces from the hotel’s interior on our website. Items for sale include light fixtures fashioned from Venetian glass and French crystal, along with more than 40 marble mantels carved in a variety of styles, including a $40,000 inlaid marble mantel from the US Ambassadors Suite. More affordable items include steak knives ($25), polished bronze swan hook ($45), stainless steel slotted egg spoon ($20), and a steel ice scoop ($10),” added Browne.
Source: Deconstructing the Legendary New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel
Portland Has Broken Its Promise to Keep Neighborhoods Safe From Demolition Contaminants – Willamette Week
Green, the deputy ombudsman, points to a $4 million project in the Overlook neighborhood. The contractor failed to remove the siding before demolition took place. The penalty? Just $876 in administrative fees due to the stop-work order. (BDS does not issue fines for first-time violations.)”Why follow the rules if the fine totals $876 and you’ve saved $5,000 on removing the siding by hand?” Green asks. “Human nature is not on the side of doing right.”
Evanston YWCA Partners with Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse | Evanston, IL Patch
Workers from the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse have already begun the deconstruction process as part of YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s long-term expansion plan. (YWCA Evanston/North Shore)
YWCA is partnering with the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse because the local non-profit organization employs high quality, sustainable deconstruction practices.
Source: Evanston YWCA Partners with Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse | Evanston, IL Patch
Erzetich Thalia, a fully hand-crafted headset made from recycled wood – Inceptive Mind
The Tilia version is made of dark linden wood, and the Salvage version is made of an airy and lightly recycled spruce wood. In both cases, the headset uses a dual 3.5mm jack layout – one per side.
Source: Erzetich Thalia, a fully hand-crafted headset made from recycled wood – Inceptive Mind
How Not To Waste A House On Oahu – Honolulu Civil Beat
Homes along Laukahi Street with Hawaii Loa Ridge homes in the background, 2015. The City and County of Honolulu could pass a law to require better use of teardowns.
Seeing the pile of rubbish that was once a house made of beautiful clear heart redwood, I could not help thinking about the environmental activists, U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service staff who have worked for decades in California to save the remaining giant redwoods from logging, while here in Hawaii we are using them for landfill. There was a significant value loss as well since similar redwood boards (8-feet-by-8-feet) would cost at least $50 each if bought locally.
Source: How Not To Waste A House On Oahu – Honolulu Civil Beat
Halfway There: After Making Progress in Operational Efficiency, Buildings Must Now Consider Embodied Carbon – Urban Land Magazine
Reclaimed timber—the entryway alone used more than 2,000 pieces of reclaimed timber. Art installations made from 85 percent repurposed construction waste, recycled and diverted from landfills.
Ozone — London, UK
Minimising waste is high on the agenda here, and goes beyond the menu; recycled steel and plastic bar chairs are by Snøhetta, while the overall design is the work of Box 9 Design, and features poured concrete floors, custom fitted ply wood booths with sage green upholstery, an open kitchen and long tables made from reclaimed wood for group dining.
Source: Ozone — London, UK
How a rural Wyoming town is repurposing historic assets to spur local entrepreneurship
Because the vacant buildings anchored Main Street, their rehabilitation would signal that things downtown were changing for the better. And by repurposing the former hotel—once a jewel of the area—they could connect Rawlins’s nascent entrepreneurial ecosystem directly to the community’s history and distinct sense of place.
Source: How a rural Wyoming town is repurposing historic assets to spur local entrepreneurship
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Portland may expand which old homes must be dismantled by hand – oregonlive.com
The Oregonian/OregonLive
A work crew deconstructs a Southeast Portland home in 2015 (The Oregonian/File)
The majority of council members said Wednesday that they plan to approve the ordinance, and Commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty and Chloe Eudaly said they would like to see a more severe penalty for violators. A first offense can lead to a fine of up to $500 and a third or more can be up to $1,500. “I support everything else, but I think if you’re going to hold people accountable, they’ve got to feel it,” Hardesty said. “This is not something that they’re going to feel.”
Source: Portland may expand which old homes must be dismantled by hand – oregonlive.com
City contractor begins first housing deconstruction project
“Number one, it’s an economic driver,” said 15th District Alderman Russell Stamper II. “We’re providing opportunities for individuals to learn skills on how to deconstruct, put some money in their pocket, and most of all have a job right here in the city of Milwaukee.”
Source: City contractor begins first housing deconstruction project
Application Period Open Now For DNR’s 2020 Derelict Building Grant Program
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now accepting applications for the 2020 Derelict Building Grant Program. The program promotes the reuse or recycling of building materials from dilapidated buildings in communities of 5,000 residents or less.
Source: Application Period Open Now For DNR’s 2020 Derelict Building Grant Program
Salvage shops offer decor with a story | The Sumter Item
Homeowners love features that come with a story, says Rich Ellis, publisher of Architectural Salvage and Antique Lumber News. “When you can point to your floor and say it came from an old shoe factory in Connecticut, for example, that’s a big attraction,” he says. There are between 500 and 700 architectural salvage businesses across the country, and business has been good, he says.
Source: Salvage shops offer decor with a story | The Sumter Item
American Companies completes apartment construction in Milwaukee | By Deb Reinbold
This was the first deconstruction project in the City of Milwaukee since the passage of an ordinance in January, 2018 which hopes to create a new market for repurposed building materials, reduction of waste and job creation for Milwaukee residents.
Source: American Companies completes apartment construction in Milwaukee | By Deb Reinbold
F-Waste Is A Huge Climate Issue: How Smart Businesses Are Solving It | CleanTechnica
Shop Talk: Ohmega Salvage; Totally Rad Gallery; Women Made — Berkeleyside
“I am sad about the lack of recycling of building materials of our classic homes here in the Bay area. Recycling was once the pride of our city,” Davis told Berkeleyside. As interest in the re-use of original architectural pieces declined, she said, overhead expenses — garbage collection, PG&E, EBMUD, alarm systems, worker’s compensation and higher wages — have continued to grow, which has made it hard to keep the business running smoothly.
Source: Shop Talk: Ohmega Salvage; Totally Rad Gallery; Women Made — Berkeleyside
Decrepit barn in Quebec was converted into stunning modern design by salvaging old materials
Located in a rural area in Quebec, the old barn was in near ruins until the Montreal-based firm was hired to convert it into a secondary family home. Thankfully, instead of bulldozing the beautiful old building to the ground, the studio managed to salvage nearly every single material to reuse in the new design.
Source: Decrepit barn in Quebec was converted into stunning modern design by salvaging old materials
Upstate NY weekend home stunningly renovated from former ore foundry – Curbed
Nick Glimenakis
The Clover Hill Foundry is a house with history. Originally built in the late 19th century, the interconnected brick buildings in Somers, New York, were first used as the hub for an ore mining operation. Later in the 1940s, three artists bought the dilapidated buildings, renovating them into standalone homes for their families.
Source: Upstate NY weekend home stunningly renovated from former ore foundry – Curbed
Preservation awards salute old fire station reuse, pioneer farmhouse restoration, 10 others (before, after photos) – oregonlive.com
Restore Oregon – 1912 Fire Station No. 17 in Portland
That night, recipients of 12 coveted DeMuro Awards will be applauded for their preservation and reuse of architectural and cultural sites, and the impact the improvements have made on their communities.
Woman’s Magical Cob House Built with Earth & Reclaimed Materials – YouTube
This is a full tour of a cozy cob micro cabin built by Marie France Roy, a professional snowboarder from Canada. She wanted to build a home with natural and reclaimed materials
How is the construction sector combatting its waste?
On the issue of waste in construction, Resource’s Allan Sandilands suggests that the lack of media coverage is a contributing factor to the limited public response to the sector’s waste problem. Where plastic pollution has been heavily documented in regard to its effects on wildlife, Sandilands notes no such coverage has occurred for the construction industry, which he refers to a the “silent sector”.
Source: How is the construction sector combatting its waste?
Ruthlessly competitive fuel market creates closed-station blight — and opportunity for reuse
BOB WILLIAMS FOR THE INQUIRER
Tara Dugan at her shop, worKS.
Tara Dugan is an exception. In 2016, while searching for a building to open a boutique, she noticed an empty, 70-year-old gas station on a lightly traversed road in Kennett Square, a borough of just over 6,100 people. She saw the potential in an unloved structure, she said, as did three women who repurposed a Sunoco gas station in Malvern to serve gourmet fare.
Source: Ruthlessly competitive fuel market creates closed-station blight — and opportunity for reuse
King County, Washington – $700,000 C&D Grant Program
The Solid Waste Division (SWD) strives to enhance the efficacy of Construction & Demolition (C&D) recycling. SWD is offering a new $700,000 C&D Grant Program for innovative projects that support King County’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (Comp Plan). As established in the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP), King County aims to divert C&D materials from landfills at a rate of 85 percent by 2025, and also has a countywide goal of zero waste of resources by 2030.
The specific solicitation for the C&D Grant Program can be accessed here – https://procurement.
kingcounty.gov/procurement_ OVR/detail.aspx?bidid=4231 (click “Enter as Guest”).
Source: C&D grant program – King County
Pallet Coffin for Halloween : 7 Steps (with Pictures) By inkbladder on Instructables
We got a bunch of pallets from a trucking company. They were in good shape for the most part, but they were dirty.
Source: Pallet Coffin for Halloween : 7 Steps (with Pictures)
30 Best Upcycle Car Part Ideas – YouTube
30 Best Upcycle Car Part Ideas
Lumber Salvaged from Baltimore’s Row Houses and City Trees Creates Jobs and Cuts Wood Waste | TheCityFix
Buildings like the vacant row houses in Baltimore can be demolished, but they can also be deconstructed to salvage the materials. The salvaging process requires much more time and labor than demolition. For Baltimore – a city with an unemployment rate of nearly 5%, climbing up to 15% or more in some neighborhoods, and a poverty rate nearly double the national average – this presents an opportunity.
London Plan: New document to help architects embed circular economy principles | News | Architects Journal
Prasad would like to see architects ‘go for it’ even without the requirements of the London Plan. He said: ‘Circular economy applies to buildings of all scale and all types, and I would love to see it being applied to smaller buildings than the threshold indicates at the moment.’ He said this was not ‘a glum duty’ or ‘dreadful imposition’. ‘It’s a fantastic opportunity to innovate and think in different ways. And the lovely thing is, it can be done on so many fronts. As the name implies, the circular econo
PlaceTech | Recycling buildings in the circular economy
The project will see over 1,000 homes demolished and materials reused. Based on an initial assessment of the regeneration project, the scale of benefits that may be realised through comprehensive implementation of Clarion’s circular economy strategy are significant.
Source: PlaceTech | Recycling buildings in the circular economy
OP/ED: You never know what you got till it’s gone. – Tillamook County Pioneer
Manzanita celebrates the uniqueness of CARTM and its reuse /recycle leadership and the fact that the City was the first coastal community to ban the use of plastic bags all in the name of environmental stewardship. Reusing building materials and diverting demolition materials from a landfill all contribute to LEED points which are not available for new construction so why did the City decide to not give citizens the opportunity to even have this discussion and prevent approximately 500 dump truck loads of building material from being hauled to the landfill?
Source: OP/ED: You never know what you got till it’s gone. – Tillamook County Pioneer
A Vintage-Style Kitchen Remodel by Peg and Awl Marries Old and New
The house was their living quarters, initial work space, and ongoing project—it had been added onto over the years, and the previous owner, a high school shop teacher, “trash picked historic doors and windows considered garbage,” says Margaux. “He used his finds to restore the rooms closer to their former, albeit frankensteined, self.”
Source: A Vintage-Style Kitchen Remodel by Peg and Awl Marries Old and New
Demolished, abandoned buildings repurposed through program helping struggling communities
The idea works like this: before an abandoned building is torn down, crews salvage all the materials they can get from it – like wood – and keep it out of landfills. At the same time, they give the people who live in those neighborhoods the job of doing that. “It gives you a new sense of your community,” said Baltimore native Kobe Bland, who works at Brick and Board. “You start to view your community a little different because you see the potential of what could be.” What started out as the “Baltimore Wood
Source: Demolished, abandoned buildings repurposed through program helping struggling communities
How design decisions on materials are “disproportionately damning the world to further climate change” | TreeHugger
Because of the Upfront Carbon emissions from building, groups like the World Green Building Council have suggested that we have to “question the need to use materials at all, considering alternative strategies for delivering the desired function, such as increasing utilisation of existing assets through renovation or reuse.” They also noted that we have to “prioritize materials which are low or zero carbon, responsibly sourced, and which have low lifecycle impact in other areas.”
Environmentalists launch a ‘game-changer’ to tackle mountains of building and demolition waste | Stuff.co.nz
New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust general manager, Francesca Lipscombe, says the new ecolabel could be a game changer for the construction industry. She is pictured at the Waitakere Refuse and Recycling Centre with Auckland Council manager of waste solutions Parul Sood.
The Environmental Choice label would differentiate C&D service providers from each other by their environmental impact and mark those who were top providers and demonstrated best practice around waste minimisation and reduction.
Circular cities: The state of the art | GreenBiz
EcoSet is a non-profit company working on a better behind-the-scenes for the production and event industries. Operating in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis and other cities, EcoSet redirects used sets, props and more to people in need including schools, nonprofits, theaters, filmmakers, artists and makers.
Eden gives bees a chance with new observation hive –
The Great Hive Mind is a striking installation made from reclaimed scaffolding poles. It contains an observation hive which is home to a colony of around 25,000 bees expected to rise to more than 50,000 by next summer.
Source: Eden gives bees a chance with new observation hive –
Chicago Union Station’s iconic power house faces unclear future – Curbed Chicago
The Graham, Anderson, Probst and White-designed building occupies a high-profile site along the Chicago River. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“The power house could have a tremendous future if we encourage something creative and clever,” Miller explains. “It takes imagination and a sensitive approach to rethink these kinds of buildings. London’s Tate Modern museum is in a former power house that sat empty for years. The Union Station property isn’t on that same scale, but it’s still an important and rare example of Art Moderne architecture in Chicago.”
Source: Chicago Union Station’s iconic power house faces unclear future – Curbed Chicago
Historic house’s river journey to new home – BBC News
The new owner shipped the Georgian-style mansion down the Tred Avon River on a 50-mile journey. The ageing property will be restored once at its new home in Queenstown, Maryland.
Source: Historic house’s river journey to new home – BBC News
A New Chapter For Denim – Solid Denim Sunglasses by Mosevic — Kickstarter
The rich heritage of denim spans centuries. Convinced that we were able to do something new, we drew inspiration from the techniques and processes involved in modern composite engineering and by infusing layers of denim fabric with a carefully selected resin, we have created Solid Denim.
Valley companies give new life to discarded building materials
Chelsea Pickett, Stardust’s business development manager, says the growth of metro Phoenix makes it challenging to keep up with construction demands, but more people participating in the reuse movement could ease the pressure. (Photo by Megan Marples/Cronkite News)
A 2015 Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet on construction and demolition waste found more than 545 million tons of debris ended up in landfills every year, even though 75% of those materials had the potential for reuse.
Source: Valley companies give new life to discarded building materials
Forget van life. Coloradans are living in school buses (a.k.a. skoolies)
Charlie Kern, co-owner of Chrome Yellow, converts old school buses into homes on wheels on Sept. 3 in Arvada. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
“Honestly, I think part of it is that good-looking people on social media are doing it,” Kern said. “Plus, housing costs are high, especially in Denver and other major cities.”
Source: Forget van life. Coloradans are living in school buses (a.k.a. skoolies)
Adaptive Reuse and Restoration of a Historic Building Features 57 Modern Lofts
The thoughtful restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic structure features 57 oversized, modern lofts market-rate units – boasting more than 280, 8-foot by 10-foot windows to provide each unit with expansive views and an abundance of natural light – of which 39 of the units are affordable.
Source: Adaptive Reuse and Restoration of a Historic Building Features 57 Modern Lofts
Century old, long abandoned former meat packing plant coming down – The Shenandoah Sentinel
SHERRY STREETER / SENTINEL PHOTO – Demolition progress on the former Swift and Co. plant in Shenandoah on Sept. 23, 2019.
The former Swift & Company plant at the corner of East Centre and North Bower, a three story brick warehouse stretching the length of the unit block of Bower, towered over the east end neighborhood since the late 1800s or early 1900s.
Source: Century old, long abandoned former meat packing plant coming down – The Shenandoah Sentinel
Lunar lander tiny house builder is having a blast on the Columbia River – oregonlive.com
A breakfast nook has a parquet wooden table from the first boat Hughes built and starship sleek bench seats in which to peer out of the planet-shaped glass. Hughes calls this his “Captain Nemo window,” a nod to one of his favorite childhood books, Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.”
Source: Lunar lander tiny house builder is having a blast on the Columbia River – oregonlive.com
Here’s how adaptive reuse has impacted Valley real estate | AZ Big Media
Above: Lincoln Union, built in 1970, is located at 475 E. Lincoln St. in the Phoenix warehouse district and was a former refrigerated distribution center owned by Pearce Beverage Co., which was the first Coors distributor in the Valley.
Adaptive reuse is making a big impact on commercial real estate and likely will for several years to come. According to the Urban Land Institute’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate (2019), the repurposing trend is likely to continue over the next decade. As real estate professionals, we had better be prepared to adapt.
Source: Here’s how adaptive reuse has impacted Valley real estate | AZ Big Media
Elizabeth Warren’s Crusade Against Corruption | The New Yorker
Elizabeth Warren speaking under the arch in Washington Square Park, in New York, on Monday night, to a crowd that her campaign says numbered more than twenty thousand people.Photograph by Drew Angerer / Getty
A lectern placed on top was made from reclaimed wood from the Maine home of Frances Perkins, the early-twentieth-century labor activist. According to Warren’s campaign, the lectern was built by craftspeople at a woman-owned woodworking company based in Brooklyn, who designed the base to resemble the soapboxes that Perkins and other labor organizers would have used. It was a stage set created to reflect the central theme of Warren’s campaign: the importance of the rights of working people, and the ways that
Source: Elizabeth Warren’s Crusade Against Corruption | The New Yorker
Moving Day: Building mover aims to keep houses out of landfills – Southwest Journal
“I’ve been on a lot of house moves where the developer will have their machine sitting right next to the house, and it’s like, ‘If this isn’t gone tomorrow, it’s demolished,’”
Source: Moving Day: Building mover aims to keep houses out of landfills – Southwest Journal
Construction & Demolition Waste Recycling Market to Increase at Steady Growth Rate 2018-2031 – The Check Chronicle
Europe is anticipated to account for a significant share of the global construction & demolition waste recycling market. The region is estimated to be followed by North America. Demand for construction & demolition waste recycling market in Europe is rising due to the increase in awareness about environmental protection and government regulations on landfills and promotions for recycling. Asia Pacific also offers significant growth potential for construction & demolition waste recycling, as the building & c
Facing demolition, Rehoboth Public School yielding legacy items | Cape Gazette
The most interesting architectural feature of the Rehoboth Public School is its modernist, art deco-style main entrance.
“Because of the salvage value, and the fact the contractor could do the work in the summer when there were few people on site, we were able to get a relatively low demolition cost, so everybody wins,” said Bassett.
Source: Facing demolition, Rehoboth Public School yielding legacy items | Cape Gazette
Belfast house for sale hides a secret from the Titanic
The house’s owner was told by a man who worked in a local salvage yard that the wood for the kitchen’s window seat was used in the building of the Titanic.
Source: Belfast house for sale hides a secret from the Titanic