Book release: Selective Deconstruction - Reversible Construction
© 2021 EPFL - Bibliothèque de Genève
The SXL is pleased to announce the release of its book: "Selective deconstruction – reversible construction: Compendium to decrease waste and encourage component reuse in the construction industry", mandated by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The 160-page long book is available as a free pdf in French and German. Authored by C. Küpfer and C. Fivet, the book contains case studies, interviews, and syntheses on selective deconstruction and reversible construction practices in Switzerland and beyond. More info is available on the Structural Xploration Lab's website.
Selective deconstruction and reversible construction, i.e. the fact of ensuring on the one hand the dismantling of a pre-existing or future construction and on the other hand, the potential recovery of its spaces and elements beyond the first cycle of use of the building, are two necessary – but not sufficient – conditions for the construction industry to fully adopt a sustainable circular economy. As opposed to the usual practices of demolition and reconstruction, these two approaches encourage a safe and responsible attitude towards natural resources and ecosystems. On their own scale, they offer a better use of spaces and building elements at the end of their use cycle, a drastic reduction of demolition waste, a reduction in the extraction of raw materials, a contribution to the reduction of anthropogenic global warming and a guarantee of local job security.