ABSTRACT
Wood is a common construction material that has a long tradition, resulting in many existing wood-framed and wood-joist buildings. When a building is removed at the end of use the wood is often in good condition. However, reused wood is rarely considered suitable for use within new structural systems. Typically, wood from building removal is downcycled or landfilled. This is a waste of valuable materials and leads to the release of stored carbon as wood decomposes. This paper investigates three approaches for the structural reuse of reclaimed wood: enabling wood components to be reused structurally in new configurations; enabling wood connections to be dismantled and reassembled for further re-reuse of structural elements; and enabling low environmental impact and reversible methods of aggregating small-dimension reclaimed components into larger-dimension structural elements. Together, these approaches facilitate the use of reclaimed wood in design and construction to reduce future wood extraction and waste.
