/THÝAAR/


Thýra (door, threshold, beginning) + RAAR (Reusable Architectural Assemblies Research)

THÝAAR is a not-for-profit design research initiative focusing on developing reusable architectural assemblies. Four benchmarks define the work: 1. Faster to build than conventional light frame systems. 2. As easy to disassemble as to assemble. 3. As economical as traditional light-frame systems, with better structural and functional performance. 4. Adaptable to a wide range of designs and layouts. What follows are periodic updates recording this ongoing endeavor. THÝAAR is directed by Pouya Khadem and it’s based in Houston, TX.
JULY 2026  |  RESEARCH  |  NOTE J

What Buildings Actually Die Of

Demolition surveys covering more than 14,000 buildings across the U.S. and Europe report average observed lifetimes of 91 years for wood-frame buildings and 67 years for concrete and steel buildings, with demolished US residential buildings averaging 85 years. These figures exceed the 50-to-60-year estimated lifespan of CLT structures.

The empirical record suggests what buildings actually die of is decisions, not deterioration. A survey of 227 demolished North American buildings found that only eight cited a specific structural failure; the dominant reasons were changing land values, inability to accommodate contemporary needs, and neglect of non-structural components. More than half of all demolished buildings in that survey were between 26 to 50 years old, proving the 50-to-60-year estimated lifespan for CLT structure is less restrictive than it first appears. 

Economic obsolescence, the main cause of building demolitions, is the condition Essential Seed framework is designed to mediate. A structure that can expand, contract, and reconfigure in response to market demand introduces dynamism into an otherwise static typology. An Essential Seed structure provides owners with a spectrum of adaptive strategies—including reduction, expansion, reconfiguration, and disassembly—offering resilient alternatives to the conventional binary choice between continued use and demolition.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Berglund-Brown, Juliana, Isaac Dobie, Jordaina Hewitt, Catherine De Wolf, and John Ochsendorf. "Lifetimes of Demolished Buildings in US and European Cities." Buildings & Cities 6, no. 1 (2025): 1099–1116. https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.588. 
  2. O'Connor, Jennifer. "Survey on Actual Service Lives for North American Buildings." Paper presented at the Woodframe Housing Durability and Disaster Issues Conference, Las Vegas, NV, October 2004. Forintek Canada Corp. https://cwc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DurabilityService_Life_E.pdf. 
  3. Dezeen. "Demolished Buildings 16 Years Older in US than in Europe, Report Finds." Dezeen, January 8, 2026. https://www.dezeen.com/2026/01/08/demolished-buildings-report-europe-us/.