Design for deconstruction and reuse: An Irish suburban semi-detached dwelling

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.