Design for disassembly  - construction drawing

In this exercise, you will create construction sketches and drawings focusing on the principles of design for disassembly.

The drawings will be used in the next exercise, where a mock-up will be built based on the drawing material.

Teacher's guide: 

5. Wood_EN.pdf

Design for Disassembly

The concept of Design for Disassembly means that a construction is designed in a way that allows for the separation of components, which can then be reused in another construction. The construction should be able to be disassembled without damaging the materials used. The purpose of Design for Disassembly is to reduce the consumption of especially non-renewable resources, and to decrease the amount of waste. For the construction industry, Design for Disassembly means that building materials in a structure should be removed, sorted, and recycled. This can happen through direct reuse, where the building material is reused without further processing, or by recycling clean material streams, where materials are recycled into new products after processing.

Design for disassembly needs to be incorporated into structures with wood to a much greater extent than it is today. For example, it's important that joints are visible, simple, and not hidden. The wood should be clean and free from unwanted substances. Visible joints can, for example, be screwed or bolted together, making them easier to disassemble and reuse.

In the following, there are examples of wood used in a way that enables the wood to be separated and reused.

Duration:

2 hours and 40 minutes.

Examples

Shed

Sheds built with good reused wood. The walls are made as elements that can be easily separated, moved, or reused. The load-bearing structure in the wall is made as a framework of reused timber. The posts and beams stand on ground screws, which are easy to screw up and reuse. The cladding consists of sorted-out deck boards and floorboards, screwed in place and made as modules that are easy to move and reuse.

Facade cladding with wood chips

Facade cladding made of wood chips created from short pieces of reused wood at 600 mm. Facade cladding is often made of long boards of 4-5 meters, but by using cut-offs, you can reduce wood waste and minimize the use of new wood.

Et skur beklædt med genbrugstræ.
To mænd der bygger en væg på et skur.

Burnt facade elements

Burnt facade elements in modules of 600x1200 mm made of reused wood. The elements are produced in a workshop and subsequently mounted on the facade. The elements are easy to replace and reinstall. Burnt wood is a more sustainable type of impregnation than other methods. When the top millimeters of the wood are charred, the sugar substances in the wood are burned simultaneously, so harmful microorganisms have nothing to feed on. This prevents the wood from rotting.

Load-bearing structures

Load-bearing structures made with brackets and visible joints are easy to separate and reuse. The visible joints are bolted together and also serve as part of the architectural expression of the building. Grid beams and grid rafters can also be made from reused timber and boards.

Floorboards

Solid, high-quality floorboards are good and easy to reuse if they are not glued together. They need to be cleaned and washed before they can be reinstalled in a building.

Assignment (2 hours and 40 minutes)

Preparation (20 minutes)

  1. Describe an example where you have experienced that materials and constructions were difficult to disassemble.
    • How were they difficult to disassemble?
    • How could it be done smarter?
  2. Share and discuss your experiences and solutions in class.

Together in groups of 2 people (2 hours)

  1. Search the internet for other solutions designed for disassembly in wood. It can be anything from foundations, floor structures, exterior walls, floors, windows, claddings, furniture, interior, roof details, etc.
  2. Create 3 sketch proposals for different building components, focusing on smart solutions that can be disassembled and reused. Feel free to think outside the box and come up with new ideas for, e.g., interior and exterior claddings. It could also be assembly details between two building components or a completely different idea. Think in modular terms that are easy to replace. The choice is yours, and there are no limits. However, it should relate to carpentry and joinery.
  3. Present your sketch proposals to the class and your teacher, who will provide feedback.
  4. Choose a sketch proposal that you will further develop. The proposal should be refined before creating final construction drawings.
  5. Now, produce final construction drawings for a mock-up in a digital drawing program or by hand, preferably in 2D and 3D. This mock-up will later be built in the workshop in the next activity.

Presentation and conclusion (20 minutes)

  1. Present your final idea and drawings to the class and the teacher.
  2. Evaluate the module in class and suggest improvements for the module.