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Strategies to Reduce Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste for Sustainable

Building Design in Dhaka: Role of Architects

Conference Paper · February 2012

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15 December 2011 Paper ID_ F-02

To
Md. Nawrose Fatemi
Lecturer,
Department of Architecture
University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh
Email: [email protected]

Ref: Paper ID_ F-02 (Long Paper)

Dear Authors

On behalf of the Technical Sub-committee of the International Seminar on Architecture:

Education, Practice and Research, I would like to inform you that your paper titled ‘Strategies to
Reduce Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste for Sustainable Building Design in
Dhaka: Role of Architects’ has been finally selected for the Seminar under the sub theme:
Architectural Practice. The Technical Committee feels that this endeavour is praise worthy and
befitting to the seminar issue. Thank you for your patience during the long refereeing process. For
the formatting and printing purpose please send all photographs/ images in one or more folders to
the following address by 18 December 2011. Since the proceedings will be printed in black and
white photos and figures should be either in black and white or should be printable in black and
white. The resolution of the photographs should be at least 300 dpi, of line drawings and graphs
1200 dpi

We, therefore, invite you to present the paper at the Seminar during 2-4 February 2012. Please
ensure your participation in the Seminar at an early date. The programme of the Technical
Sessions will be announced soon. We hope you will extend your cordial support to this endeavour
undertaken by the Department of Architecture, BUET.

Yours Sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Farida Nilufar

Convenor, Technical Sub-committee
International Seminar on Architecture: Education, Practice and Research
Department of Architecture, BEUT
Email: [email protected]/ [email protected]/
Contact: 0088-9665650-80 (7153), 0088- 01819430517,

Please visit our official website for further updates.

www.buet.ac.bd/arch/seminar

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Resolving Geometries in Complex Curtain Walls: Shanghai Natural History Museum Cell Wall as a Case Study

Strategies to Reduce Construction and Demolition

(C&D) Waste for Sustainable Building Design in
Dhaka: Role of Architects

Md. Nawrose Fatemi

Lecturer, Department of Architecture
University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh
Email: [email protected]

Abstract
A phenomenal increase in the level of urbanization and urban growth is observed in Dhaka city for the last
few decades. 30% of the urban population of the country is concentrated in this metropolitan area. To meet
the demands of shelter for this heavy influx of people, a rising need for housing facilities have come forward
and accordingly it has been accelerated in the construction industry in and around Dhaka. The existing built
environment here and the process of adding to it have numerous environmental and social impacts in a number
of ways, including waste production. Construction and Demolition (C&D) Wastes contribute a significant part
to the waste stream destined for the city’s landfills. Through waste minimization and waste recycle, architects
can ensure the reduction of waste, by understanding its root causes and re-engineering current processes
and practices to ease its generation and thus contribute towards a sustainable building design. This study
aims to identify the influencing factors of waste management and strategies to improve waste management
performance for building and construction projects.

Keywords: Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste, Sustainable Building Design, On-Site Management,
Architect’s Responsibility

1. Introduction
The amount of Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste is significant in most of the countries which has
challenged the performance of the construction industry and its sustainable goals (Kulatunga et al, 2005).
Tremendous amounts of C&D waste have been generated directly or incidentally from the construction of new
developments and demolition of old or renovated structures as unwanted materials. Most of these wastes are
dumped into landfills, increasing the burden on landfill loading and contribute a significant part to the waste
stream destined for the city’s landfills. Evidence shows that, approximately 40% of waste generated globally
originates from construction and demolition of buildings (Holm, 1998) and this has taken a major portion of
the solid waste discarded in landfills around the world. For instance, in the USA it is approximately 29% and in
Australia 30% of landfills by mass (Bossink & Brouwers, 1996). For this, C&D waste management has become
one of the major environmental problems in both economically developed and developing countries (Hung,
2010). And an efficient waste management process on a construction site is a vital component of sustainable
building design. As a member of construction industry, architects can perform important roles by integrating
waste management in different phases of design; at ‘demolition stage’ and from ‘pre-design and design’ stage
to ‘construction’ stage. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influencing factors of waste management
along with a few strategies for architects to improve waste management performance in their building and
construction projects.

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2. C&D Waste in context of Dhaka

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh is ranked as the ninth largest urban agglomerations in the world. It holds
the highest average annual urban population growth rate of 5.6% from 1975-2007 (UNESCAP, 2010). Like
other economically developing and least developed countries, rapid urbanization and urban growth has been
creating huge demand of housing and physical infrastructure in Dhaka. As the amount of housing facilities
cannot keep pace with the population increase, the city has experienced tremendous housing lack since 1970s
(Zaman & Ogura, 2007). To meet this demand of shelter for the heavy influx of people, an escalating need
for housing facilities have come forward and accordingly it has been accelerated in the construction industry
in and around Dhaka. Due to shortage of buildable land, high land price and increasing demand of shelter,
urban housing form in Dhaka has undergone many radical transformations over the past few decades. Thus
the increasing housing demands are being fulfilled essentially by multi-storied buildings.

For instance, in Dhanmondi (a planned residential area in Dhaka), the single storied buildings has been
reduced from 72.8% to 7.9% since 1964 to 2007. With the development of real estate sector period in-between,
these buildings are replaced by six storied buildings which are now governing in number of 43.9% (Hashem,
2001). Moreover, it can be easily assumed that the number of multi-storied buildings will increase more as floor
area ratio (FAR) permits buildings with 8-12 stories (According to Building Construction Rules, 2008-2011). As
a result, the existing built environment in Dhaka and the process of adding to it have numerous environmental
and social impacts in a number of ways, including construction and demolition waste production. In Dhaka,
the construction and demolition waste varies from sand, Lime, Cement, Bricks, Ceramic Tiles, Timber, Rubble,
Steel, Cement Blocks, Paint and PVC pipes.

3. Concept of Designing out Waste

The waste management concept can be viewed as a set of management plans of solid waste. The waste
management hierarchy establishes approaches to waste management according to their importance and
preference in descending order. According to Keys et al (2000) the construction waste management hierarchy
(Figure 1) is as follows:

Sustainable Development Best

Prevention
Reduction
On-site Reuse
On-site Recovery
Off-site Reuse
Off-site Recovery
Landfill Worst

Figure 1: Construction waste management hierarchy

Department of Architecture, BUET

Designing out waste at the earliest stages of the construction process offers the greatest opportunities for
waste minimization. The best management approach to waste is to manage the process so that there is no
waste to manage (Keys et al 2000). Crittenden (1995) defines waste minimization as any technique, process
or activity which either avoids, eliminates or reduces waste at its source, usually within the confines of the
production unit, or allows the reuse and recycling of the waste for benign purposes.

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ResolvingtoGeometries
Strategies in Complex
Reduce Construction Curtain Walls:
and Demolition (C&D)Shanghai Natural History
Waste for Sustainable Museum
Building Design Cell Wall Role
in Dhaka: as aofCase Study
Architects

For this study, to understand the waste management process and to determine the role of architects in Dhaka,
the following methods are applied:

Waste Management process Methods

Construction waste Reduction at source Literature review
On-site recovery Survey and Informal interview
Off-site reuse Case study
Demolition waste

4. Construction Waste

4.1. Reduction at Source

It has been estimated that 33% of on-site waste is due to architects’ failure to implement waste reduction
measures during design stages (Innes, 2004). According to Kulatunga et al (2005), construction waste can
originate at any phase of the construction process, and its roots may lie in design decisions, method of
construction or even with attitudes of people. Love (1996) also added that many wasteful activities can take
place during both design and construction processes, consuming both time and effort without adding value to
the client.

4.2. Causes of Construction Waste

It is important to know the waste sources for applying correct waste minimization methods. Skoyles (1987)
makes a distinction between direct and indirect material waste and Gavilan & Bernold (1994) grouped the
causes of direct and indirect wastes into six categories, including design, procurement, material handling,
operation, residual and others. According to Osmani et al (2008), Construction waste is effectively generated
throughout the project from inception to completion with the pre-construction stage accounting for a
considerable amount, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Causes of construction waste

Origins of waste Causes of waste

Design : Design changes, Design and detailing complexity, Design and construction detail errors,
Unclear specification, Poor coordination and communication (late information, last minute
client requirements, slow drawing revision and distribution)
Procurement : Ordering errors (i.e., ordering items not in compliance with specification), Supplier errors,
Over allowances (i.e., difficulties to order small quantities),
Transportation : Damage during transportation, Difficulties for delivery vehicles accessing construction sites,
Insufficient protection during unloading, Inefficient methods of unloading (e.g. bricks, sand,
glass)
On-site management & Lack of on-site waste management plans, Improper planning for required quantities, Delays
planning in passing information on types and sizes of materials and components to be used, Lack of
: on-site material control, Lack of supervision (i.e., throwing away excess material)
Material storage & : Improper storing methods, Inappropriate site storage, Materials stored far away from point
handling of application, Materials supplied in loose form (e.g. bricks, sand, glass)
Site operation : Unused material and products, Equipment malfunction, Poor craftsmanship, Use of wrong
materials resulting in their disposal (e.g. inferior quality marbles, tiles), Time pressure (e.g.
formwork)
Residual : Waste from application processes (i.e., over-preparation of mortar), Off-Cuts from cutting
materials to length, Packaging
Other : Weather, Vandalism, Theft (e.g. tiles, cement bags, MS rods)
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4.3. Recommendations to Reduce Construction Waste

Architects have significant role to play in reducing the waste generated from construction projects. Architects
should be concerned on four major areas of the design process including design issues and construction
techniques, building materials specification and education.

- In design stage, they should think for a whole life approach and consider flexibility in the design to
accommodate future expansion or alterations

- In pre-construction stages, they should consider such building form and shape that reduce the
use of excess building materials. Sizing of buildings and spaces should be such that can eliminate
unnecessary elements.

- In construction stages, waste can be reduced in a number of ways by specifying the use of material
and techniques, standard size supplies and prefabricated components into the design.

- They should avoid those designs that require more material than necessity or over-specification as it
generates waste.

- They should encourage and educate the client and other stakeholders for appreciating waste
minimization benefits and the strategies to be employed in the project to achieve set targets.

5. Demolition Waste

5.1. On-site Recovery

Demolition is the systematic total or partial removal of structural systems, other subsystems and materials
from a building. Three typical approaches are found in building demolition: manual wrecking, mechanical
wrecking and explosive charge demolition (Dolan et al, 1999). In Bangladesh, manual wrecking is mostly
used method while mechanical wrecking is hardly used and explosive charge demolition is not used at all. The
advantage of manual wrecking method is that it may result in waste with the highest recover and reclamation
potential. It is a very labor-intensive since most of the demolition involves cutting and ripping with hand and
tools. Traditional tools and equipments are used in this method for chipping old plasters and breaking of parts
of concrete. Tools like hammer, chisel etc are frequently used for this purpose.

5.1.1. Demolition Waste Management

A sequence of works is observed while demolitions proceed in a site. Figure 2 shows the sequence of activities.
Department of Architecture, BUET

Figure 2: Steps in manual wrecking in Bangladesh

It can be mentioned that removal of plaster and masonry works is handled sincerely to separate each piece of
brick in its original shape. A group of labors break the structure and other group (loaders) carries the materials
outside of the building and dumps it in a pre-defined location. It is then carried to the site where it can be used
by using men driven two wheeler curt (locally called thela gari), men driven tricycle carriage (called van gari),
trucks etc (Saifullah et al, 2009). A list of construction wastes and its source of generation with further use in
Bangladesh is shown in Table 1.
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Strategies in Complex
Reduce Construction Curtain Walls:
and Demolition (C&D)Shanghai Natural History
Waste for Sustainable Museum
Building Design Cell Wall Role
in Dhaka: as aofCase Study
Architects

Table 2: Probable use of building demolition waste (Saifullah et al, 2009, modified by author)

Waste material Source of generation Probable use

Electric wiring : Electric wiring Recycle

Plumbing pipes : Water supply and drainage Recycle

Timber : Door and window panel Reuse after repairing

Plaster & floor finish : Building surface Mostly in land filling, very few reuse

Concrete piece : Slabs, beams, columns, RCC walls Mostly in land filling, very few reuse

MS rods : Slabs, beams, columns, RCC walls Recycle as scrap metal

Full brick : Masonry works, partition walls Reuse in masonry and as brick chips

Half brick : Masonry works, partition walls Mostly as brick chips, very few in land filling

5.1.2. Financial Involvement and Resale Values

Although manual wrecking is cost and time intensive, the expense of this method may be offset by the money
gained from sale of the reclaimed materials. In manual wrecking methods (applied for most of the cases
in Dhaka), the maximum cost goes for labor payment. On the other hand, resale value of the old structure
depends on some factors such as age, size, material, & location of structure.

Generally labors are paid on daily basis at the rate of 225-250 BDT/day. In some cases works are done by
selecting on unit rate basis. There are a few shops at Nayabazar, Poribaag, Gabtoli, Badda and Natunbazar
area in Dhaka, from which both buying and selling of old reinforcing bars, sanitary pipes and fittings, door and
window panels, floor finish, bricks, debris etc. are widely held. The selling price of demolition waste is shown
in table 4:

Table 4: Selling price of demolition waste

Items Rates
Full Brick : 40-50% of new bricks
Half brick : 20% of new bricks
Rubbish : 300-700 BDT/ truck
Reinforcement : 50-60% of original cost

5.2. Off-site Reuse

Recently, as a research project (shown in figure 4), a two storied building with 4 dwelling units has been
derived from recycled demolished concrete blocks (made of demolished concrete from a pulled down 22
storied building in the city, Dhaka Rangs Bhaban, shown in figure 3) By Housing and Building research Institute
(HBRI). It is not only useful for recycling of construction waste but also cost effective; it saves 50-80 BDT/sft
according to HBRI (Ahsan et al 2011).

Mainly, the wall material of the project is made of concrete bricks. At first, demolished concrete blocks from
the pulled down building was transported to the site at HBRI premises. The blocks were then crushed by the
motor operated crushing machine to yield a mixture of coarse and fine aggregates, shown in figure 3. Cement
and water was mixed with the later and cast into blocks to create concrete bricks.
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Figure 3: Demolition of the building and crushing of demolished concrete blocks by the crushing machine

Figure 4: The 9.5’’x9.5’’ concrete brick module and the project derived from recycled demolished concrete blocks

As the traditional masons are adapted to work in brick modules, a 9.5’’x9.5’’square block was derived to allow
easy workability, shown in figure 4. Through this research, it is proved that the use of recycled demolished
material reduces landfill and need for pristine materials, which produces saving and useful recycling of
demolition waste.

Table 5 provides an analysis of the relative advantages of recycled construction over similar conventional
concrete construction buildings:

Table 5: Comparative analysis of recycled and conventional concrete construction (HBRI and Ahsan
et al 2011)

Recycled Concrete Construction Conventional Concrete Construction

Made of demolition waste building materials New building materials
Concrete Ratio 1:4:7 in which only cement and ¼ of Concrete Ratio 1:4:7 in which cement, sand and course
course sand are required aggregate all materials are required
Department of Architecture, BUET

Size 9.5’’X9.5’’x2.75’’ Size 9.5’’X9.5’’x2.75’’

Size costing 23 BDT/block Size costing 40 BDT/block
Only crushing energy is required Manufacturing energy of raw materials is required
Pre cast Cast in situ /Pre cast
Requires less time in construction Requires more time in construction

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ResolvingtoGeometries
Strategies in Complex
Reduce Construction Curtain Walls:
and Demolition (C&D)Shanghai Natural History
Waste for Sustainable Museum
Building Design Cell Wall Role
in Dhaka: as aofCase Study
Architects

v5.3. Recommendations to Reduce Demolition Waste

Architects have significant role to play in reducing the waste generated from demolition. Architects should be
concerned on the following areas:

- They should develop a demolition plan early to facilitate maximum reclamation, reuse and recycling
of materials from the site. They should instruct the contractor and the trained laborers on waste
separation and sorting activities to reuse and recycle of materials.

- They should review the existing structure to determine which furnishings and equipment are in good
condition and could be reused to meet the planned program or could be salvaged for another project.
Thus, they should use salvaged or recovered materials in same or in other applications where ever
the use of these materials are appropriate.

- They should encourage and educate the client and other stakeholders to choose a selective
demolition technique instead of complete demolition or removal of structure whenever possible.
As it can increase the possibilities of using reusability and recyclability of building materials in the
designed project.

6. Conclusion
The generation of material waste will become a tremendous problem in the construction industry of Dhaka
as the extensive building and infrastructure development as well as redevelopment is frequent here and it is predicted
to increase more. Hence, attention has been paid on developing and implementing better waste management
plans. And architects have significant role to play in reducing the waste generation and implementing better
waste management plans for sustainable construction and building design. Architects should be conscious
about the reduction of waste at source and root causes of construction waste. They have to influence reusability
and recyclability of building materials through the choice of the structural system and the choice of materials.
They should also redesign current construction processes to lessen waste generation and contribute towards
a sustainable building design.

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