Challenges and The Promise of Deconstruction as a Climate and Housing Solution

Deconstruction is redefining what it means to tear down and rebuild. Demolitions are mass-scale wreckings, whereas deconstruction involves disassembling a building piece by piece. Building materials, including lumber, brick, and fixtures, can be salvaged and reused, paving the way for a more sustainable future. Dallas is confronting a two sided crisis where housing shortages and climate change converge, but deconstruction is an alternative that is gaining traction to reduce waste, cut emissions, and create space for new, attainable housing.

Deconstruction Defined and Why It Matters

Demolition sends thousands of tons of construction material directly to landfills, whereas deconstruction transforms these sites into material mines. This, in turn, fuels a circular economy where the materials from aging structures are harvested and reused.

According to the Carbon Leadership Forum, nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the built environment, with half of that from the embodied carbon in construction materials. Salvaging and reclamation of materials represent emissions that don’t have to be repeated. And there’s another benefit: housing.

Across the country, deconstruction is being paired with rezoning efforts to make room for new housing on underutilized lots. Boulder, Portland, and Palo Alto are three examples of areas with deconstruction actively being pursued. In Boulder, over 140 million pounds of materials have been diverted from landfills since a 2020 ordinance mandated deconstruction for all residential and commercial tear-downs.

Deconstruction in Dallas? 

Each city is different and our ability to deconstruct varies. Dallas certainly has buildings sitting vacant or underutilized post-pandemic, conversations around rezoning for housing are gaining urgency, but deconstruction is not as straightforward as harvesting plain materials. Often, materials are impossible to harvest. 

DCH explores each of our sites for opportunities to introduce the latest sustainable methods and showcase how adaptive reuse and deconstruction open new avenues to expand the city’s housing stock without adding to the climate burden. If integrated into city policy and supported by infrastructure, like sorting facilities and reclaimed material stores, deconstruction could, reduce landfill waste from demolition-heavy redevelopment, create jobs in material salvage, skilled trades, and resale, potentially lower construction costs by reusing materials instead of buying new, and preserve neighborhood character, especially in historic areas. 

Challenges and Promises of Building for the Future 

It is easy to see the potential benefits of deconstruction, but implementing infrastructure and incentives requires a massive organizational effort. Portland offers a model that pairs deconstruction requirements with training programs, resale markets, and material donation centers. Another factor to consider is labor. Deconstruction is labor-intensive, which can increase project timelines and upfront costs; however, it creates long-term environmental, social, and economic value. 

These challenges and promises underlie decisions we make not just in what we build and invest in, but how we build it. DCH is engaged in policy discussions regarding zoning, climate resilience, and innovative construction practices, including deconstruction. Each development is unique in the ways we can reuse what we can, and rethink what we build. These may be the solution to Dallas’s next generation of residents. What do you think? Let’s discuss the next generation of Dallas housing options.