Deconstruction Partnership

 

We at The Alchemical Nursery Project are aware of the need for an ecologically sound process when it comes to revamping our urban landscapes. Many of the older cities in America have an old housing stock, some of which has been abandoned or has fallen into serious disrepair. When there is no better choice than to take down an existing structure on a city block and start anew, deconstruction is a process that ensures the materials are dealt with in an environmentally and economically sound manner.

 

Deconstruction is the process whereby a house, rather than being demolished, is taken apart piece by piece and recycled. As opposed to a landfill destination, much of the material from a deconstruct is either resold back into the community for home building projects, or is recycled for use in other ways. For example, old concrete can be crushed and used as fill for building sites. Clean sheetrock can be crushed and used in soil applications (because of the lime). Clean scrap lumber can be ground up and used as mulch or fuel. Other markets for materials in Syracuse are being identified, and in time, as prices rise and resources grow ever more scarce, we foresee that even more recycling plants and companies will spring up in Syracuse, as well as across the country and around the globe. This is the new economy - that of reuse and recycling, rather than disposal.

Another important aspect of the deconstruction process, and one that surely sets it apart from a standard demolition, is the condition of the lot that it leaves behind. In the case of a demolition, the house contents are more or less folded into the foundation and buried, meaning many toxic chemicals can leach into the soil, contaminating the water table and creating the possibility for a brownfield designation onsite. Aside from the environmental costs, the financial burden of remediating a brownfield is so heavy that most property owners would rather not know if they own a brownfield site. If they knew, they would be legally required as the owner to clean it up, and depending on the depth of their pockets, would possibly go bankrupt in the process.

 

Luckily, in the case of a deconstruction, all contents of the house, including any potentially hazardous materials, are removed from the site. The site is left clean and ready for development, such as into a community garden or urban forest.

 

Syracuse Habitat for Humanity has a devoted crew of "soft skimmers" that work hard to save materials from the landfill when houses are slated for demolition, such as hard wood flooring, cabinetry, sinks, lighting, architectural features, and anything else that can be taken out without the use of heavy machinery. These materials go to their ReStore for sale back to the community. The Alchemical Nursery Project, as a player in the up and coming deconstruction movement in Syracuse, New York, is committed to helping Syracuse Habitat for Humanity to grow their crew into a full deconstruction operation, meaning that they will go beyond the "soft skimming" to take the entire house down for recycling, leaving a clean site behind.

 

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