Embracing reclaimed materials in building design offers builders an environmental two-fer. It keeps waste out of landfills and helps to prevent cutting down more living trees.
Building with recycled materials is on the rise. A renewed emphasis on sustainability, biophilic elements and occupant wellness is pushing designers to seek out greener options.
Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is a popular choice in modern building design. Its textured appearance adds character to spaces, while contrasting and complimenting at the same time with sleek lines of furniture, appliances, and other decor elements. The use of reclaimed wood in design also supports responsible building practices and helps to preserve natural resources.
Salvaged from barns, ships, crates, decommissioned homes, pallets, and other sources, reclaimed lumber often exhibits character-rich characteristics that aren’t found in new lumber. Knots, nail holes, wear, and weathering should be embraced instead of hidden or covered up — they’re part of the story that will help your project stand out.
The rich color and texture of reclaimed lumber is perfect for framing windows, doors, and walls in modern designs. It’s a great alternative to traditional, painted moldings that can quickly become outdated. It also complements shaker style cabinets, a popular kitchen design choice that helps to give spaces a more rustic appeal.
Another popular way to use reclaimed lumber is to create exposed wood beams. They’re a beautiful and unique addition to any home, and they’re a great substitute for the more expensive and energy-consuming process of installing insulation and drywall in a new home. Reclaimed wood beams also have the added benefit of being a better insulator than new wood, thanks to their naturally curved shape and porous structure.
Reclaimed Brick
Reclaimed bricks are a popular choice of building material for a variety of reasons. They offer a distressed aesthetic that is incredibly appealing to some people, they can be required by a local authority for certain graded listed buildings, or simply because it is more cost effective than using brand new bricks. But the biggest reason they are so popular is that reclaimed bricks are a truly environmentally friendly option. This is because they are recycled rather than manufactured afresh and this cuts out a large chunk of the energy that goes into extracting, producing and transporting new materials.
The process of reclaiming bricks is simple; they are taken from demolition sites, cleaned to remove any debris and then used again in a new build. This helps to cut down on waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, as well as offering a unique and beautiful texture to any re-build or renovation project.
As well as being a great environmental option, reclaimed bricks are also extremely durable and long-lasting. They will have already withstood the test of time in their previous building, and this gives them an extra layer of quality and reliability that is hard to match with new materials. They may have developed a natural patina or a rough-textured surface that adds an extra dimension to any project, and they can be sourced in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes.
Reclaimed Concrete
Reusing concrete is a popular method to reduce landfill waste and environmental impact. The process involves grinding up the concrete and using screening, magnets and water floatation to remove embedded metals before repurposing the aggregate for new concrete. In addition to reducing landfill space, concrete recycling saves on the cost of new concrete and aggregate. Additionally, it eliminates the need for additional material production and transportation, thereby further reducing energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
However, little research has been done on structurally reusing pre-existing cast-in-place concrete elements. Existing structural concrete is often discarded due to premature functional obsolescence, such as changing spatial needs, urban densification, real estate development and energy improvement plans. As a result, many load-bearing elements are demolished even though they can still serve similar load-bearing purposes.
Structural reusing of existing concrete is possible, but challenges remain. For example, concrete has a relatively high water absorption rate which can negatively impact its durability. Additionally, reusing existing concrete requires a careful selection of aggregates since different portions of the aggregates can vary significantly in their mechanical properties.
Despite these challenges, some progress has been made on designing structural elements reusing reclaimed concrete. For example, Bukauskas et al. [27] and Warmuth et al. [28] have used bin-packing heuristics to design repurposed concrete beams and trusses. Furthermore, Brutting et al. [29] has used discrete structural optimization techniques to design repurposed concrete frame structures that minimize weight, embodied carbon and costs while maintaining typical ultimate and serviceability limits.
Reclaimed Metal
Metals are a major component of construction, but they can also be recycled in innovative and eye-catching ways. Reusing discarded metals saves on energy and materials used for new production. Additionally, reclaimed metals are less likely to end up in landfills and incinerators where they can harm the environment.
While many of these reused materials are found in cladding and other finishes, they can be structural components as well. For instance, a single-level residence in Oregon uses corrugated metal from an old barn and wood from a local deconstructed structure for its cladding. Another example is the steel castle crafted from discarded cans, bicycle parts, tools and more by Robert Bruno in Ransom Canyon, Texas.
Reclaimed materials can help achieve a green building certification like LEED. In addition, they can break up monotonous architectural norms and spark creativity. The challenge is to ensure these structures stand out and don’t just mimic traditional designs.
To make a project using reclaimed materials successful, a design team should discuss them at the early design stage. This helps to set a budget and timeline for the use of these materials. It also allows the design team to work with a salvage expert or reclaimed material supplier to identify what types of building materials are available and suitable for the project. These discussions should include identifying any performance criteria that must be met for the materials to be considered for the project.