Material Circularity Lecture

The Office of Historic Preservation hosted a Deconstruction Think Tank on February 9-11, 2020. Municipal government representatives and reuse retail experts from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta convened to discuss best practices for the reclamation, salvage, and reuse of building materials to reduce waste and meet carbon reduction targets. City of San Antonio representatives from the Office of Sustainability, Solid Waste Management Department, Office of Innovation, and Development Services Department were also in attendance.

As part of the Think Tank, a public lecture on Portland’s deconstruction ordinance was held at AIA San Antonio on Monday, February 10, 2020. Over 80 people were in attendance to learn how the ordinance diverted over 2.4 million pounds from the landfill and generated new small business opportunities around building material reuse.

Shawn Wood from the City of Portland presented on the genesis of Portland’s deconstruction ordinance efforts, details on the policy itself, as well as initial data and outcomes from the program. Shawn was followed by David Greenhill, co-founder of Good Wood, a deconstruction and reuse retail company. Good Wood was launched in response to the ordinance and is a registered Deconstruction Contractor with the City of Portland.