- Title
- Maximizing the reuse of building components through critical technical design principles
- Creator
- Forghani, Reza
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The large amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in New South Wales (NSW) has to be managed effectively to minimize environmental impacts. This study seeks to identify ways to reduce C&D waste by maximizing the reusability of building components from a design perspective. Building components can be salvaged through deconstruction processes (sometimes referred to as reversed construction). Design for Deconstruction (DfD) has been developed to overcome the challenges of deconstruction. DfD enables building components to be disassembled in an undamaged state and then reused in new applications. However, the extent to which DfD principles can improve the reusability of building components is unclear. Hence, the main aim of this study is to determine which design principles can potentially maximize the reusability of building components from the design perspective. Accordingly, a series of Technical Design Principles (TDPs) proposed for DfD and the practice of reusing building components was identified through a literature review. These TDPs were used to develop a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was piloted and administered to the parties directly involved in design and deconstruction. One hundred and seventy-two responses were collected from building designers and demolition contractors working in New South Wales (NSW). Different statistical methods were used to analyse and interpret the data. Firstly, TDPs were ranked based on their descriptive statistics. Nine TDPs were found to be critical for maximizing the reusability of building components. These are: Avoid hazardous substances; Use components with a long lifespan; Use components with low maintenance costs; Consider the lifespan of components during design; Maintain information about structures and their details; Use durable joints and connectors; Use bolted connections instead of welded connections; Use components that need common equipment for assembly/disassembly; and Design lifting points on the components for ease of handling. Secondly, ANOVA was used to compare the views of those involved with TDPs. The results showed that there is a significant statistical difference of views on eight TDPs. Thirdly, factor analysis was employed to reveal the potential interrelationships between TDPs. The TDPs subjected to this method were categorized into six clusters based on their relationships. These clusters are “Standardization of design”, “Durability of Components”, “Identification of components”, “Separability of components”, “Selection of components”, and “Simplification of connections”. In the second part of the study, a qualitative method was used to explore the critical TDPs. Eleven interviews were conducted to identify the factors hindering building designers from implementing the identified critical TDPs in their designs. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the interviews. As a result, three themes and seven sub-themes were identified and discussed. These themes are: Hazardous substances (sub-themes: Attentiveness and Traceability), Cost (sub-themes: Durability, Maintenance, Quality and quantity of joints, and Transportation), and Practicality (sub-theme: Engineering). Different aspects of the TDPs were determined and identified using these methods (both quantitative and qualitative). The results of this study can potentially maximize the reusability of building components from a design perspective.
- Subject
- building components; reusability; design for deconstruction
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1415956
- Identifier
- uon:36976
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Reza Forghani
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Hits: 911
- Visitors: 1681
- Downloads: 1089
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 687 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |