Think of the Afterlife of the Space

Develop Your Approach to Stewardship

Develop your strategies and workflow for the end of projects to equip the current clients, potential future occupants, and future designers with the information needed to reuse, recycle, renovate, or deal with your project’s components responsibly.

Create a Close-Out Package

Develop a centralized inventory or dossier of all the products and materials that went into a project (as per the CA stage, or in collaboration with contractors). Provide this information to clients at the end of the project so that it can be handed to future teams, occupants, or owners of the space.  

Tip: Design a location for this close-out package in the space. Provide a receptacle or box for the physical copy of this document so that future owners or occupiers can find it even if a formal handover doesn’t take place.

Provide Demolition Specs or Recommendations

Not all products currently on the market can be recycled or reused safely or profitably. Provide demo specs that record the appropriate strategies for each material and product being used in the space. Don’t mandate specific outlets for reuse but allow future teams to think broadly about closing the loop according to the possibilities available at that time.

Remember that Organizations and Technologies change

Ensure that documentation is available both in digital and physical formats, and in enduring file formats.

Prep Facility Managers

Train the team to favor products built for prolonged use, because they can be reupholstered, refinished, or repaired. And prefer products that are assembled with fasteners rather than adhesives. 

Encourage Chain-of-Custody Documentation

Encourage manufacturers to label products with materials transparency information. This information should travel with the product even if it eventually leaves the jobsite during future renovations or demolition. Include information pertinent to demolition workers, for their health and safety. 

Encourage Internal Reuse Programs or Asset Management Systems

Point clients toward creating internal reuse strategies (between facilities at different locations) or use asset management systems like Rheaply.

Involve Stakeholders in End-of-Life Strategies

Different stakeholders might hold end-of-life solutions for various product categories. Vendors might offer leased products and take-back programs. Dealers can leverage their warehouses for reselling. Salvage centers could find a third life for any materials they provided. Resources like Reseat could help with chain of custody on furniture.