In one sentence?
Yes. This can be summed up in a single sentence.
That’s not as simple as it sounds, is it?
Well, yes, it is. It is that simple. Is there a massive amount of restructuring that will be required to make this happen? Yes. But the objective is still that simple: make used building materials available to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) community in the same ways that new materials are made available to them.
We are engaging with cities, organizations, and companies across America to help make this happen.
Here are the main ingredients:
Storage – Expansion of capacities in preparation for multiples of current quantities.
Processing – Scaling up and automating the inspection, sorting, and preparing for storage, sales, distribution, use.
Categorization – Identification and inputting into systems with Specifications, Dimensions, Weight, and other known characteristics.
Inventory Management – Consistent information in accessible and transferable formats.
Sales – Understanding the Customer Development process and establishing consistent relationships of buyers and sellers.
Logistics and Supply Chain – Creating relationships for regional and national distribution of materials with high efficiency and greater dependability than new. There is no crossing of borders. There are no tariffs. If the resin factory in Houston shuts down plywood manufacturing, that does nothing to reuse. If a port is plugged with ships bobbing and waiting, that does not shut down reuse.
Wholesale and Retail – From the Processing to the Categorization to the Inventory Management, these materials can now flow electronically into ecommerce systems, as well as the software tools used by architects and engineers. They can use their 3-D modeling tools to consider reclaimed options alongside new.
Tools and Technology – From automated nail-pulling to measuring and quantifying of materials in a current standing building, to identifying a painted wood door from a metal one, there are technologies at the supply end of this all the way to the new built building these materials find as their second homes. “Life Cycle Analysis” can happen when the material is given a unique ID that lives on it. This means that we can know where things go and how long they last and if they get a shot at a third life. It works in the systems architects and engineers use, like BIM and Revit and other technologies.
Building Codes – The codified and legal means of making these valuable materials part of normal and regular reuse.
Policy – Replication of winning formulas that are customized to local conditions, sensitive to all stakeholders, and utilizing the best knowledge available to maximize benefits and reuse.
Incentives – From Carbon Credits to front-of-the-line for building permits, there are smart ideas already in place. Can they work where you live? Maybe. But at least we know what they are.
Workforce Development – Deconstruction of buildings takes more human power than demolition, which simply knocks buildings down. It takes time. Deconstruction jobs can be excellent gateways into the trades and can begin at a low-skill level up to quite sophisticated skills required for large commercial buildings.
Education – Education is essential for this to work. There is a “mythology” about used materials that they are “thrift store” or damaged or no longer have their structural strength. As tools enter the realm of reuse, efficiencies go up. As techniques are shared, efficiencies go up. Educating the general public is part, government officials is another, the AEC community is another. Effective distribution of correct and current information is essential and part of the plan.
Collaboration – This seems so natural, yet it is really uncommon on a large scale. We are in our silos, our caves, our businesses, and organizations. We share photos and recipes but not useful technologies. Of course, there are those who already do this well, but they are not the norm. Collaboration can be easier.
Stick with us, this is a long journey.
Larry