Thanks to Guad Flores for his master’s thesis, which entailed observing the deconstruction and preservation work we do at CarbonShack (the sister company of Home Front Build), and for helping to contextualize the topic of deconstruction within the heritage community. Salvage-focused deconstruction is indeed appropriate, and not at all a dirty word. Not all buildings built before a certain age can, or should, be preserved - but their construction materials can be, especially those that have not been identified as a contributing historic resource. In those cases, the conversation within the Heritage community needs to weigh the value of the historic construction materials themselves - the framing lumber, for example, or the cladding material - and not just prioritize the finish materials, or indeed the finished product itself. One can rightfully argue that the reuse of historic construction materials through upcycling has preservation merit as significant as the carbon savings obtained through reuse.
It should be noted that the building demolished in this instance was a wonderful example of domestic Craftsman style architecture from the last century. However, it was not zoned as a historic resource, so due to the housing shortage issues in California, it was removed to make way for a high-density multifamily unit. We in the Heritage community must be mindful to balance the preservation voice with other planning goals, such as affordable housing, to create a sustainable and equitable urban center.
Another important point not mentioned in the podcast is that CarbonShack was able not only to demonstrate the value of carbon reduction through deconstruction and reuse, but also the financial savings in doing so. We were able to prove that the final cost of deconstruction for reuse meant that the value of the lumber preserved was actually less than that of purchasing newly harvested lumber. Our approach not only lowered the carbon footprint of the newly built structure, but lowered its cost as well. And when you consider the negative environmental impacts of both lumber as it decomposes in landfills and of the cutting down and transportation of newly harvested timber, the argument for thoughtful deconstruction as an urban planning goal simply makes sense.
To further explore the issues of sustainable architecture and low-carbon design, please see the videos on our website that document the process Guad observed. We have also developed a suite of calculators on our sustainable build website so that any homeowner or professional can explore how the choices they make impact the operational and embodied footprint of the way we live.
Again, thanks to Guad for including our work in his master’s thesis, and for furthering the conversation of deconstruction as we all work towards evolving new concepts of sustainability for our communities.
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