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BEAM P
LUS FOR
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UILDINGS
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ATERIALS
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SPECTS
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V
ERSION
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4 A
DAPTABILITY AND
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ECONSTRUCTION
Copyright © 2012 BEAM Society Limited. All rights reserved.
Page 76
different occupancies; and
provision of more than the minimum spatial areas and floor
heights, etc.
B
ACKGROUND
Change of ownership, changing use of premises, changing demography
of family units, future growth and expansion etc., require modifications to
the layout of most types of premises. Large amounts of solid waste can
be generated during the remodelling of premises, such as demolition of
walls and partitions. Designs that allow users flexibility in the layout of
premises and designs that allow for dismantling during deconstruction
can significantly reduce consumption of resources and generation of
waste.
Adaptability refers to the capacity of buildings to accommodate
substantial changes. The concept of adaptability can be broken down
into a number of simple strategies that are familiar to most designers:
flexibility, or enabling minor shifts in space planning;
convertibility, or allowing for changes in use within the building;
and
facilitating additions to the quantity of space in a building.
Designs for adaptability can also increase the longevity of buildings,
improve operating performance, and allow more efficient use of space,
yielding economic benefits. The key design principles include
independence of systems within a building, upgradeability of systems
and components, and lifetime compatibility of building components.
Examples include:
foundations that allow for potential vertical expansion of the
building;
superstructures that rely on a central core for lateral load
resistance to allows local modifications to the structure without
affecting the building’s structural integrity;
reducing the use of embedded infrastructure for power, data and
HVAC systems;
the use of building systems that isolate structural and building
enclosure systems used for housing building services
components;
the provision of lightweight partitions that can be moved to change
layout;
design that allows interior fitting-out to use modular and pre-
fabricated components; and
separating long-lived components from short-lived components to
reduce the complexity of deconstruction and churning so as to
facilitate the collection process for recycling; etc.
Deconstruction is the process of selectively and systematically
disassembling buildings that would otherwise be demolished to generate
a supply of materials suitable for reuse in the construction or
rehabilitation of other structures. Designing for deconstruction facilitates
the salvage of recyclable materials during disassembly. The benefits
include the reduction of pollution impacts, saving landfill space, and
increase in resource and economic efficiency.