Architectural salvage vs Modern construction: investigation into sustainability and aesthetic values

Abstract

Architectural salvage consists of extracting materials, furniture and objects from a building that is about to be demolished, for the purpose of reusing or repurposing them. The quality and aesthetic value of salvaged materials/items is important in terms of their reuse in construction. No previous studies have tried to quantify the aesthetic value of salvaged items and compared it to modern pieces of the same type. Indeed, there is little research on the potential benefits of architectural salvage to the construction sector. This study aimed to: i) evaluate the perceived historical and aesthetic value of salvaged vs new objects and the need for information about their relative sustainability, and ii) compare the environmental performance of common architecturally salvaged materials and furniture vs new items. A survey was developed to identify relative perceptions about the aesthetic and historic value of salvaged pieces. To establish the aesthetic values of objects, a "PAPRIKA" (Potentially All Pairwise RanKings of all possible Alternatives) style survey was used. To investigate the sustainability of architectural salvage of certain materials/products, software was created using the coding language Python. The software was designed to calculate the carbon footprint of the transportation of the specific salvaged material chosen alongside the carbon footprint of the same type and quantity of material if it were manufactured brand new. A total of 55 responses to the survey were secured. Only 17% of respondents had visited an architectural salvage shop. Hence, there is a clear need to raise public/construction sector awareness about the reuse opportunities provided by the salvage/reclamation sector. When asked whether they would consider purchasing salvaged materials, a large percentage of people responded positively, although for the majority the strength/durability of the object/material (42%), or its appearance (34%), would play the most important role in their decision. About half of the respondents expressed interest into being provided with more information concerning the environmental impact of the pieces they were considering for purchase. A key conclusion is that after being prompted to think about environmental impacts, people seem more prone to making a decision about a purchase based on information comparing the relative environmental impacts of salvaged and new items. Software to estimate the sustainability of architectural salvage was successfully developed. Further development could include more detailed inputs by the user, which could include the type of machinery used during deconstruction for which carbon emissions can be calculated and creation of subcategories of materials. For example, glass can have very high or very low embodied carbon (ranging from 5 to 105 kg CO2e/kg) depending on the type of glass. The conclusions from this study serve as an important stepping stone for further development of the architectural salvage industry as one piece in the jigsaw puzzle we need to complete to realize a full circular economy for the construction sector.

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ORCID for Ian Williams: orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-1219

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