How to get away from 'single-use buildings'

In a piece in Common Edge, Rick Cook describes how the construction industry could shift away from "single-use" homes made of inexpensive, convenient and disposable materials that end up in landfills after demolition.

Cook asks, "How might sustainable buildings become as common as the Trader Joe’s tote, the reusable alternative to the plastic bag?"

Cook's answer is the concept of circularity, which "invites us to consider a building’s life cycle not as a linear timeline from construction to demolition, but as a closed loop in which a building’s material and cultural investment is renewed through each generation." This framework encourages the adaptive reuse of buildings and materials as well as "design for disassembly." 

Also known as "reversible architecture," designing for disassembly involves using fasteners instead of adhesives, for example, to make it easier to take apart parts of a building when it reaches the end of its useful life. Cook also recommends proactively working to replace unsustainable materials. "The most adaptable building is only as sustainable as its parts. When done strategically, material specification can help propel the goals of the circular economy."