Sustainable communities: A proposal linking the management of forestation and agricultural waste with the development of recyclable housing

Sustainable communities can be defined as meeting identified needs without compromising the survival of future generations. Buildings are amongst the largest producers of CO2. Sustainable development at local and regional levels is suggested as being achievable through the adoption of a largely closed system approach. Carbon-neutral buildings are those where carbon emissions can be balanced out by the planting of sufficient trees to lock-in their carbon equivalent. Timber is a highly versatile construction material and its production results in various by-products. These may be diverted from waste streams and used in biomass co-firing (coal used in a power station can be reduced through replacement by a suitable biomass). The paper illustrates how materials and components could be processed to provide a timber based prefabricated house construction typology offering the potential for disassembly and re-cycling. The embodiment of progressive disassembly into design results in production of houses that can be dismantled over time to facilitate adaptation to changing need and re-use. At the end of useful life, components forming the primary structural elements such as walls, floors and roofs may be re-integrated into new housing production, diverted for biomass fuel processing, or used in mulching / composting to enhance soil fertility.