Selective Demolition of Buildings as Sustainable Strategy

Andreia Moreira Martins

Daniel da Costa Reis

Márcio Minto Fabrício

ABSTRACT: Over the last decades the demolition process has experienced several changes, which focus mainly on how the building will be demolished more recently, the emergence of environmental concerns, brings to the surface the discussion about the damage of building demolition, which is responsible for producing a significant portion of all waste generated by construction, from the most selective processes to the most destructive. Through the selective demolition process, which is based on disassembling and collapse of the structure, harnessing as much material as possible with the aid of hand tools and mechanical equipment it is possible to recover and separate the materials obtained during demolition, which is a concern increasingly imposed by the companies that contribute to the economy of natural resources. The reuse of material is the preferred result, choosing recycling as a second option because it requires less energy, less raw material and less pollution during its process so as to continue the service life of the material. This process aims to reduce the environmental impact of the activities of the entire construction sector, decreasing the number of new products to be manufactured and the volume of waste that are usually landfilled, putting new materials on the market. This work aims to study the process of demolition and resale of recovered materials, of small demolition companies in the State of São Paulo, using two case studies. Seeking to understand the functioning of these companies and discussing sustainable strategies implemented and the aspects to be improved.

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