Building Salvage and Deconstruction Case Studies

Mar 12, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Room # 402

Presented by: Joel Banslaben, Seattle Public Utilities, Dave Bennink, RE-USE Consulting

Session Description:

When we deconstruct instead of demolish, we reduce waste, generate a supply of high quality used materials, and reduce demand for new materials which would have eventually ended up in the landfill. The new goal is to become the mainstream choice for building removal. In addition, this approach can be taken a step further by creating new structures with an eye to “Design for Disassembly,” building them out of 100% reusable materials and eliminating fasteners and adhesives where possible.

The two barriers to making that happen are that deconstruction takes too long and costs too much for many building owners. Or does it? An overview of salvage and deconstruction strategies and their costs and benefits will be presented from projects around the United States and then followed by local case studies from the Puget Sound region. This session will also feature an interactive dialog on the “State of Green Collar Salvage & Deconstruction Jobs,” including current demand in the sector and opportunities for training and career advancement for low-income communities.

Speakers Bios:

Dave Bennink, RE-USE Consulting

Dave Bennink, owner of RE-USE Consulting, has been in the reusable building materials industry for 16.5 years. He helped to develop and run two non-profit reuse stores in the State of Washington, working there for 11.5 years. He started RE-USE Consulting in 2004 and now has clients in 34 states in all regions of the Country and was voted National Building Deconstructor of the Year – 2009 and was runner-up for National Building Deconstructor of the Year – 2007/2008. In 2009, Bennink has already spoken at the 2009 NAHB conference in Dallas, the CRRA conference in Palm Springs, and the ASCE webinar on Green Building. He also spoke at two King County Solid Waste training events, several seminars in Illinois, Ohio, and New York, and was asked to speak 4 separate times at National Building Deconstruction conference in Chicago (Decon ’09).

He has worked on over 3000 buildings including homes, apartment complexes, hospitals, warehouses, sports stadiums and more and has deconstructed almost 500 of them. Bennink runs the national training program ‘Three-Day Decon’ on advanced building deconstruction, assesses buildings reuse value, and works on difficult and large scale projects that wish to incorporate alternatives to demolition. An important aspect of his daily work is developing markets for reusable materials, creation of green-collar jobs, striving for the goal of zero waste, and is currently consulting for the City of Chicago with their bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. Bennink continues to strive to make building deconstruction a mainstream choice for building removal and promote the building material reuse industry.

Joel Banslaben, Seattle Public Utilities

Joel Banslaben is a Sr. Sustainable Strategies Specialist – Green Building for Seattle Public Utilities. He is currently focusing on market development for reusable building materials, green roofs as low-impact development tool, and integrated water reuse strategies. Mr. Banslaben has a MPA from Columbia University in Environmental Policy and a BA in Biology from Colorado College. He also recently received a Certificate in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. Originally from New York, Joel previously worked on coastal conservation and community development strategies for the Coastal Marine Resource Center and Surfrider Foundation in Brooklyn.