Walsh, St. John

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Walsh, St. John
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Walsh, St. John

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  • Publication
    Design for deconstruction and reuse: An Irish suburban semi-detached dwelling
    (School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, 2022-04-01)
    Walsh, St. John 
    ;
    Shotton, Elizabeth 
    Residential buildings in Ireland have long been constructed of load-bearing masonry with structural timber use limited to intermediate floor joists and roof structures. The growing phenomenon of timber platform framing in Ireland in the last 30 years has increased the share of this construction type to a current 27% of residential new builds primarily using prefabricated wall and floor panels. Despite this surge of interest in timber construction, recovered timber in Ireland is typically downcycling into wood chip-based products or for energy. Given Ireland’s limited structural-grade timber stock, the ever-increasing share of timber use in residential construction will eventually put considerable pressure on timber supplies. The aim of this study was to evaluate a typical Irish semidetached house design, prefabricated by Cygnum Timber Frame, to identify the potential for reuse of primary material components in the current design and improve the recovery rate in a new design modified on the principles of Designing for Adaptability (DfA), to extend the service life of the building, and Designing for Disassembly and Reuse (DfDR) to maximise recapture and reuse potential.
      347
  • Publication
    Design for deconstruction and reuse of timber structures – state of the art review
    (InFutUReWood, 2020-10-20)
    Cristescu, Carmen 
    ;
    Honfi, Daniel 
    ;
    Sandberg, Karin 
    ;
    Shotton, Elizabeth 
    ;
    Walsh, St. John 
    ;
    et al. 
    This report continues to summarise novel design concepts for deconstruction and reuse, that could be used in modern timber buildings. It outlines that the feasibility as well as the reuse potential depends on the scale of reclaimed components, where larger components and assemblies are often considered beneficial in terms of time, greenhouse gas emissions and waste production. If volumetric or planar units could be salvaged in the future, they also need to be adaptable for altered regulations or standards or alternative functions. It is further necessary that assemblies can be altered within buildings, since different building components have different life expectancies. Various examples for DfDR in buildings with the accompanying design strategies are presented. The buildings in the examples are often designed to be in one place for a limited timeframe and can be deconstructed and re-erected elsewhere without replacement of components. Key-features often include modularity of components, reversible connections, adaptability of the floor-plan and circular procurement. Even though it is evidently possible, the structural reuse of timber is not a wide-spread approach to date. Barriers to the use of reclaimed structural components are mainly a lack in demand for salvaged materials, but also prohibitive building regulations and the lack of design standards. Demolition practices play a crucial role as well and need to be considered in the design of buildings, to avoid damage to the components.
      716