Commercial Re-Use of Quality Casework: Design for It, Then Deconstruction Will Happen
Allen Doyle, University of California (UC), Davis
Large laboratory renovations need to clear hundreds of linear feet of casework for new laboratories or office furniture. The replacement value totals hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet most of it is demolished. Recent projects at the University of California have had this unfortunate outcome.
Sometimes these modular cases have dovetail drawers and birch or oak faces that could be refaced then installed easily in new or renovated construction. Most re-use centers have a few boutique hardware items and a few materials, but not commercial quantities of casework. Why not? It appears that commercial-scale demand may be the limiting feature of the re-supply chain. What architect would design this casework into an overjoyed client's project? Can you de-couple the deconstruction contract and the general contract to give more time? Session participants are asked to come up with ideas and stories of how they want to include or almost included refurbished casework into their project, and what the missing links are in the process. What would it take in your region?
Biography:
Allen Doyle is the laboratory sustainability manager at UC Davis. With 20 years of chemistry, laboratory management, and field work experience, Mr. Doyle brings the researcher’s eye to conservation in laboratories. Now working full time on sustainability, Mr. Doyle has several projects at UC Davis, including enrolling researchers and energy managers in HVAC optimizing, freezer management, green laboratory practices, and surplus re-use. As a chemical oceanographer, Mr. Doyle learned of global warming 30 years ago and is glad the country is finally taking it seriously.