Design for Disassembly: Comparative life cycle assessment of two wood-frame structural systems

Design for Disassembly (DfD) provides a framework toward achieving closed-loop systems to minimize the need to produce new materials after a building or its components must be removed or replaced. The aim of this paper is to apply DfD principles to determine the impact it may have on the LCA of the structural systems. The research modeled and assessed the embodied carbon of two single-bay wood structural systems to measure the carbon footprint of each structural system throughout their respective life cycles. Additional life cycles of the materials used in each structural system were considered when determining their total carbon impact against the benchmark and each other. The results suggest that the structural bay constructed with a heavy timber post-and-beam system required approximately 28.0% more material and 18.6% more wood mass than one constructed from dimensional lumber. Application of DfD to account for the additional uses for materials within each structure were discussed from findings of related literature.