Design for construction waste management

Abstract

Construction waste is an urging problem to be addressed from the very beginning of a project. This paper argued that instead of working at the construction stage to handle construction waste as most current research and practice have done, construction waste management (CWM) should be planned at the design stage by adopting the ideas of design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA), as well as design for disassembly (DfD). It further proposed the concept of design for CWM (DfCWM) and its five principles, including standardization, simplification, modularity, reusability, and recyclability. By adopting DfCWM and its principles, construction waste can be reduced at the design process of a project, reused during construction, and recycled when demolished. With the proposition of DfCWM, this paper will bring a paradigm shift opportunity for CWM and design industry by combining the advanced technologies of industrialized construction and construction materials.