ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the principles for deconstruction and includes some case studies showing how a few designers are thinking about the end-of-life of buildings and how they can be deconstructed and used again. Designers will often consider plant replacement strategies as part of the design and will work up drawings showing how large components, such as chillers, can be removed and replaced. Flooring systems are one of the most intractable problems when designing for deconstruction, as they are often composite systems using steel and concrete to span large distances. Designing for deconstruction is an essential piece of the circular economy puzzle. For reuse after deconstruction, the elements have to be removed from the building with as little damage as possible. Some designers have taken the idea of designing for deconstruction to heart and have created buildings that can be disassembled and recycled with relative ease, as shown by the case study from Werner Sobek.
