Wood walls and construction material on a concrete foundation at the beginning of construction of Vienna House.

Vienna house: Affordable housing design for disassembly

Vienna House construction | Photo credit: Wade Comer

The purpose of this research from BC Housing is to find resources for designers and architects to be able to implement designing for disassembly (DfD) principles highlighting the opportunities to use wood in residential construction. These resources include information that can apply to all types of construction and building types.

Vienna House innovative affordable housing demonstration project

This report contains information that can immediately be incorporated into projects to increase their potential for deconstruction and disassembly. In British Columbia, wood is an important building material, both because it is locally available and it economically benefits communities across the province. Wood in construction also has the environmental benefit of sequestering carbon for decades. With its high potential for reuse, we can extend that sequestration to centuries.

Finally, creating a truly circular building industry would require that salvaged and recycled material use is prioritized in construction. In order to “close the loop,” resources for designing with, and sourcing salvaged material have been included.

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