|
|
Salvage and Re-use
[Image: salvage and reuse]
Salvage -- noun, verb: To retrieve, recover, rescue, regain.
Re-use -- verb: To use again, especially after salvaging, special treatment or
processing. |
The catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast caused immeasurable damage for the City of New Orleans with nearly 75% of its land flooded and more than 150,000 properties obliterated by water, wind or fire. As owners of damaged or destroyed homes consider options of rebuilding, it becomes increasingly important to raise awareness about opportunities that the methods of salvage and re-use might offer.
In reference to the construction process, the term salvage generally refers to the successful rehabilitation of building resources that might otherwise be considered useless and discarded as landfill. The method of re-use aims at applying and integrating these salvaged materials into future rebuilding efforts. In addition to reducing the amount of waste, recycling materials also minimizes demands on natural resources. Such demands include mining, tree harvesting, using water or energy, as well as lessening the quantity of potentially toxic elements produced during the manufacturing and delivery processes.
As citizens assess the post-storm conditions of their houses, the first thing to consider is what elements of the building might be worth retrieving. Examples of salvageable construction materials often include columns, mantles, moldings, steel beams and studs, electrical equipment and light fixtures, plumbing fittings and fixtures, such as faucets, toilet and bathtubs. Other examples of salvageable materials are: lumber, siding, brick, windows and doors. After selective removal of the individual components through careful dismantling and deconstruction, the homeowner has the option of either re-using these salvaged items for their own rebuilding efforts, or selling or donating them to organizations that make them available to the public. Often, the financial savings to the owner that result from salvage are substantial, in part due to the elimination of hauling and disposal costs.
Apart from ecological and economical benefits, re-using salvaged items also offers the opportunity to conserve and reinstate building components that can be applied to projects in a variety of ways. Elements of important historical character, such as moldings, might be integrated into renovation projects in order to maintain and preserve the cultural heritage of a place. These elements may also be used within a contemporary context to introduce notions of historic re-interpretation.
Recycled parts are even used in less obvious ways for certain projects. As an example, the Rural Studio in Auburn, Ala., utilizes recovered lumber and bricks, as well as less likely components such as windshields, rubber tires and number plates, to assemble low-cost sustainable structures that help build communities for the impoverished residents of their region.
Generally, ideas about salvage and re-use provide homeowners with valuable and attractive options during the demolition, planning and rebuilding process. Conservation, especially in this day and age, should be emphasized as an important alternative to disposal, where subsequent building uses an assemblage of entirely new materials.
|
| Last Updated: 4/1/2009 8:56:53 AM |
|
|