Design for Disassembly to Recover Embodied Energy

The embodied energy in building materials and components represents a major part of the total energy requirement of any building. When a building is demolished, most of the materials are discarded, and along with them the embodied energy is lost. If buildings were designed for disassembly, rather than demolition, greater proportions of building materials could be salvaged for reuse. In such a scenario, embodied energy would be recovered along with the materials, thereby reducing the total energy requirements of the built environment