“A global perspective on building material recovery incorporating the impact of regional factors”

Abstract

Recovery of buildings through the extraction of building materials at the end of the building life can contribute to the reduction of construction material consumption and waste generation. The viability of recovering in-situ building materials when they reach the end of their lifespan depends on regional factors such as construction and demolition norms, labour costs, secondary material markets, and general perceptions and culture toward material recovery processes. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of regional factors on building end-of-life strategies. For this study, five different buildings with similar general characteristics from globally distributed locations are selected as case studies. To analyze the impact of regional factors, a previously developed decision-support optimization tool is used that intakes regionally dependent factor data and generates optimal end-of-life options for each building component that reflect market-based practices based on the regional factor data. The study takes a comparative approach to analyze the recovery potential of the chosen building case studies. The results of the study highlight the importance of social economic factors in the decision-making of building component end-of-life strategies alongside material recovery-related policies, incentives, and waste disposal regulations. Labour costs are found to be less impactful than regulations and cultural norms on materials recovery decisions. The findings of this study have important implications for the construction industry, policymakers, and researchers. Construction stakeholders can better assess the feasibility and potential benefits of recovering building components based on each region's specific conditions and consequently develop regionally focused policies and regulations that can more effectively reduce waste generation.