Barriers to reusing and recycling office fit-out: an exploratory analysis of demolition processes and product features

Abstract

Within the highly waste-generative context of Australia, waste from demolition of office fit-out significantly contributes to unsustainable landfilling. The extant literature is, however, slim on scrutiny of the situation. Therefore, this study aims to uncover office fit-out demolition processes and product features that drive high ratio of landfilling fit-out elements. The research used ten case projects and fourteen interviews to document visible and latent parameters of office fit-out waste. Waste-stream mapping and decision-tree techniques, in conjunction with basic descriptive statistics, were used to model and visualize the extent and drivers of unsustainable fit-out demolition. Further, an exemplar product features analysis was conducted to validate the identified drivers. The findings show that 78% of fit-out waste from the studied cases is landfilled. This high rate is attributed to both latent and visible factors. The main latent factor is high lease price of premium or high-quality offices which favours expeditious demolition with low consideration for reuse and recycling. Key technically visible barriers are volumetric furniture, heterogeneous fit-out assemblies, and insufficient critical mass. To move away from landfilling, production of office fit-out should be transformed for sustainable material adequacy, product re-configurability and de-constructability, and easy handling in the use phase.

Integrated Model and Index for Circular Economy in the Built-Environment in the Indian Context

“…The building materials remain in the use phase for a long time, and it cannot be assured that they can be recovered at end of life (Finch, et al, 2021). Current manufacturing methods and practices in the construction sector render recycling and reusing nonprofitable and this leads to unsustainable landfilling (Fini and Forsythe, 2020). Foreseeing the multi-fold rise in the built area in India, the government introduced CDW management measures in 2016, to tackle the challenge of meeting the material demand and handling the waste in the construction sector (Faruqi and Siddiqui, 2020).…”

Design, Cultivation, and Acoustic Analysis of a Building-Sized Mycelium Sculpture

“…Building interiors such as commercial spaces and offices are also major producers of demolition waste. A study in Australia (Fini and Forsythe, 2020) found that 78% of fit-out waste from demolished office spaces is landfilled. This was attributed to fit-out elements often being produced for single-use with features that limit sustainable demolition.…”

Do Product Characteristics Affect Customers’ Participation in Virtual Brand Communities? An Empirical Study

“…Research shows that in virtual brand communities, members share information, answer questions about products, and discuss their experiences with the products, which can strengthen their emotional ties to the community and the brand promise (Dash and Zhou, 2021). Therefore, companies are increasingly taking the initiative to establish virtual brand communities in the hope of communicating with consumers and strengthening the relationships between brands and consumers through these communities (Fini and Perry, 2020). Virtual brand communities established by companies include those on third-party social media, such as Renren.…”