Three Scenarios of Disassembly
The following three design scenarios investigate how disassemblable CLT structures could perform within the contemporary construction industry.
1. The Panel, The Module: In this scenario, the CLT panel functions as raw inventory with potential intrinsic resale value. The design strategy imposes no design requirements on the future application of the panel. The goal is to make the CLT panel available for future reuse as simply another panel, detached from any specific system of details or joinery. By prioritizing, at the design stage, the ability for most structural panels to be reused in entirely different projects, the building effectively becomes a future material bank. In this way, reclaimed panels can compete directly with new CLT panels within the construction supply chain. For example, within this framework, if 80% of CLT panels in a house are recyclable, it implies that 4 out of 5 panels can be repurposed in another CLT structure, just as how new panels would be used.
2. The Whole, The Module: The CLT panels used in a structure come together in a specific and detailed way that almost all of the structure can be disassembled and reassembled exactly in the same way in a different location. The result is a CLT structure with precise connection details, enabling efficient assembly and disassembly with minimal time and labor requirements. Unlike the previous scenario, this approach defines recyclability as the perpetual replication of a singular specific design. This approach allows for other parties of the construction industry (furniture, plumbing, finishing, etc.) to plan their products and services in advance according to a single structural design, as if the structure becomes an infrastructural object available to everyone to plug-in their custom variability. The specific joinery design required for this scenario resembles the craft of traditional wood joinery and performs as a modern interpretation of historically and culturally rich woodworking practices.
3. The Variable Module: This scenario is a hybrid of previous ones. The resulting structure is an assemblage of standardized units made out of CLT panels. The connections between those units are made to be easily disassembled, however, each unit assembles with specific connections and details. Connections between units utilize the flexibility of "The Panel" scenario, while the units themselves retain the specific detailing of "The Whole.” Depending on the specific condition of a project, what constitutes a unit can be defined. For instance, a roof-to-column detail or the four walls of a room can both be units for two different projects. Once units from different buildings get reused and recycled, they can form a design that is seamfull, heterogeneous, and architecturally complex.