Abstract
Construction and demolition (C & D) waste generation is identified as an environmental topic of concern globally. Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and other researchers have identified wood waste as the key material to focus on in residential housing construction. With this point in mind, it seems prudent to identify waste generation at the demolition stage of houses. Two low-rise single-family detached houses were evaluated to determine their potential demolition waste generation. Wood, concrete, masonry (brick), gypsum and asphalt waste generation was measured, quantified and ranked accordingly. The results determined concrete had the highest waste generation potential representing around 60% (kg) at the demolition stage. The findings are contrary to the wood waste focus in residential construction. Therefore, the findings suggest more focus needs to be placed on concrete use in residential construction moving forward, as much as wood has been in most recent decades.
Highlights
The impact of the construction industry in its totality, between the phases of construction, operation and end of service life for buildings, has major effects on climate change
The results of the literature sited in previous sections 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 determined a balance of construction phase (C-phase) and design/pre-construction phase (D-phase) strategies, while some of the researchers such as Shen and Tam (2002) promote Cphase approach that streams into construction management
The fact that C & D waste is a major topic of concern today is attested by many researchers including Lu and Yuan (2011), Yuan and Shen (2010), Monahan and Powell (2012), and others
Summary
The impact of the construction industry in its totality, between the phases of construction, operation and end of service life for buildings, has major effects on climate change. Researchers predict roughly 40 percent of total global energy use is attributed to buildings (Dixit et al, 2010). The construction and operational energy use of buildings contribute to almost one-quarter of global CO2 emissions (Monahan and Powell, 2011). Operational energy use far outweighs the construction and demolition (C & D) energy use, it is still a noteworthy energy consumption consideration as mentioned by Monahan and Powell (2011). Some researchers such as Khasreen et al (2009) predict roughly 80 percent of a building’s energy consumption lies in the operational energy use, while 20 percent in the construction phase. The impact of construction waste and its methods for recycling and reuse of building materials are being considered far more critically than in past decades (Yuan and Shen, 2010), mainly to reduce waste production, alleviate energy use and lessen the impact on climate change
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