Part of the BRE Trust

Pre-development Audits, Reuse

and BREEAM UK

Gilli Hobbs, Strategy Director

BRE (Building Research Establishment)

How much demolition waste is there in the UK?

19.3 million tonnes in 2011 from NFDC members

– around 70% of industry by value

Reclamation in the UK

• The UK has one of the

most active and diverse

architectural salvage

sector in the world

• Mainly small, local

companies

• Amount of materials being

reclaimed has decreased

• Salvo (network)

http://www.salvo.co.uk/

Potential CO2 savings from using reclaimed materials

PRE Demolition/Refurbishment audits

• Requirement in BREEAM

An examination of existing structures to:

– establish the types & amounts of waste materials likely to arise

– provide recommendations for optimal resource use

– look for opportunities to reuse/recycle on same site

– pre-refurbishment and pre-demolition

What are pre-development audits?

Pre-demolition/pre-refurbishment audits methodology

– Desk study to examine photos and plans of existing structures

and proposed work

– Carry out site visit to

• Measure building elements

• Assess the condition of materials and suitability for reuse or

recycling

– Determine the amounts of Key Demolition Products likely to arise

from the demolition or refurbishment

– Provide recommendations for management of Key Demolition

Products e.g. options for reuse and recycling

– Provide guidance for clients to set targets for diversion of waste

from landfill

Case 1 - Whipps Cross Hospital PDA – focus on £ and

environmental quantification

ALL PRODUCTS

(m3)

STTOD - sold

to the trade,

own

dismantling

STTG - sold to

the trade at the

gate

SOS - sold on

SalvoWeb

RVO - reuse

value on-site

Ecopoints Hectares

pristine

Amazonian

rainforest per

year

Hectares heavily

logged,

sustainably

managed

rainforest per year

24,515 m3 £456,995 £2,107,442 £6,952,402 £4,227,529 119,121 2,516 1,060

Reclamation Valuation Environmental Quantification

Case 2 - More typical case study – School in NE England

– A pre-demolition audit of

three school buildings

was carried out in Hull

– Using drawings and

data gathered during a

site survey the types

and amounts of

materials likely to arise

from the demolition

were estimated.

Case 2 - School - Pre-demolition audit results

62.2%

30.5%

3.4%

1.5% 0.7%0.3% 0.3%

1.0%

Key Demolition products (by weight)

Concrete

Bricks

Steel

Plaster

Flooring

Timber (softwood)

Glass

Other

– The major demolition

products were

concrete, bricks and

metal (steel)

– Waste management

recommendations

showed that 95% of the

waste could be diverted

from landfill

Case 3 - University Buildings pre-demolition audit

• Pre-refurb audit of 2 buildings

• Removing doors, some internal partitions,

heating and wiring and re-roofing

• Victorian fittings (with value)

• Reuse target of 75%

• Recycling target of 25%

Case 4 – Pre-refurbishment audit London

– Pre-refurbishment audit of a 4-storey

town house due to undergo major

refurbishment to Passivhaus standard

– Using drawings and data gathered

during a site survey, the types and

amounts of materials likely to arise from

the refurbishment were estimated

Case 4 - Pre-refurbishment audit results

- Major materials to be removed

during the refurbishment are brick

and plaster, timber, glass, metal

and floorcoverings

- Over 90% of materials can be

recycled offsite (no space on site

for crushing of bricks)

- Limited potential for reuse due to

poor condition of doors and

windows

Pre-demolition option on SMARTWaste

Developing better guidance

– BRE have carried out 50 + audits, ideally:

– Before contractor appointed – performance

specification

– Independent of project

– Post demolition evaluation of performance

– Advertise reusable items (e.g. Salvo MIE)

– Closer link to design of new/replacement – what

can be retained/reused?

– Will circular economy thinking help?

– Design for Disassembly/ Adaptability to facilitate

future recovery (learn from PDAs today)

– Link this into BIM to track assets and cascade

warranties/ reduced risk (www.bamb2020.eu)

BREEAM update

BREEAM = building level sustainability

standard

> 550K BREEAM certified developments,

and > 2.25 million buildings registered for

assessment (1990 +)

PDAs related to credits in:

– New construction, communities, non

domestic refurb, infrastructure, home

quality mark

Updated New Construction 2017

(hopefully):

– Tighten requirements for pre-

demolition audit, linked to code of

practice being finalised

Thanks for listeningAny questions?

Gilli.hobbs@bre.co.uk