Recognition is growing about the concept of a circular economy as a critical path forward to expand access to existing resources and local jobs, protect natural habitats, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce waste in the construction industry. But how can teams take action?
Construction Junction is a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, PA, whose mission is to promote conservation through the reuse of building materials. Construction Junction has been in operation since 1999, reclaiming, salvaging, deconstructing, repurposing, and upcycling items to keep them in use and out of the waste stream.
With a strong community presence, Construction Junction participates in hundreds of deconstruction projects and material pickups throughout the year, and receives thousands of material drop-offs. The challenge is that calls are often unpredictable or last minute. This limits the opportunities to truly maximize material salvage and reuse.
CRTKL collaborated with Construction Junction to envision a more streamlined approach, that would help clarify and standardize the process for project teams wanting to work with reuse centers like Construction Junction.
This video that explores how owners, designers, and construction teams on commercial projects can engage with reuse centers and each other to support the transition to a circular economy in the built environment.
No discipline works alone over the course of a project. Together, we aim to make it easier for all teams to evaluate their projects for reuse and support circularity wherever they are. You can also find more information on the Construction Junction website, with further resources through Build Reuse.