Drafting an inventory of building materials in order to improve disassembly

On Tuesday, 24 July, 2018, during a press conference concerning the deconstruction site of the Jean Monnet Building in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, occupied until 2015 by agents from the European Commission, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) presented tools intended to facilitate this type of site, namely:

• A model for drafting an inventory of construction materials, and therefore potential waste, drafted prior to disassembly. This inventory allows for better planning of resource management and to envisage the possible individual collection of materials in situ.  It is detailed and broken down into three sections concerning the description of the building, the inventory of various materials present as well as a check-list of the presence of pollutants such as asbestos, or any Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH).
• A guide for drafting the inventory of construction materials at the time of deconstruction of a building, available in French and German and in standard or abridged format. Related to the model for drafting an inventory, this guide describes the process of drafting the inventory and reference standards.  

>> All tools which will assist planning, performance and documentation of disassembly works, can be downloaded from the environnement.public.lu webportal. 

Automation of building deconstruction

Developed in collaboration with the Environment Agency (AEV) in the framework of activities concerning LIST's environmental policies, these tools are the result of a practical approach for deconstruction. Designed by researchers, the aim of this approach is to optimise the deconstruction process, to plan security measures in advance, to improve promotion of resources involved in deconstruction and finally to consolidate deconstruction skills from amongst the stakeholders involved. The tools developed allow for automation of deconstruction of buildings which need to be de-constructed. 

Such a process, in which Luxembourg is a precursor, offers many environmental and financial advantages.  Recycling of materials instead of refuse, more effective management of resources and waste, possible re-use or recycling of materials by optimised sorting at the time of deconstruction, or better planning of deconstruction and reduction of unplanned risks at the time of demolition are a host of advantages for project managers. The process also offers the possibility of defining a technical framework for public procurement thanks to the contribution of quality and complete information in submissions allowing for offers to be made calculated more accurately and better comparison of deconstruction offers. 

A response to a legal provision

The template and guide allow professionals to draft an inventory of materials and types of waste present in the building to be de-constructed, so as to be able to satisfy, in as effective a manner as possible, their legal obligations. The amended law of 21 March 2012 pertaining to waste notably makes provision for the obligation to draft an inventory of construction materials ahead of disassembly.  

These tools not only allow for clarification and to facilitate compliance with regulations in force, but also to achieve the objectives of revision of the directive on waste published in May 2018. 

Refining tools by support

Other deconstruction projects are in progress with the support of researchers from LIST where professionals in the construction sector already use these tools and may, thanks to their experience, provide future improvements to tools proposed so as to always improve the response provided to actual professional requirements.