Designing with reused building components: some challenges

What are the implications of component reuse strategies on the way buildings are designed and procured? Two building project case studies highlight the organizational and procedural problems for reusing components. Designers need additional information to design effectively with reclaimed components for new projects. They need to understand the risks, economics and implications to the programme. The design process needs to allow for more flexible design and specification. Additional skills are needed to source and evaluate components. Robust procurement contracts are needed to accommodate component dismantling and reuse. The impediments to the reuse of construction components are rarely technical or economic. Instead, they are mostly based on organizational, contractual and social structures.