Institution of Civil Engineers launches Demolition Protocol 2008
(25/12/2008)

Originally launched in 2003, the Demolition Protocol is currently used widely by policy-makers, clients and agencies as an effective decision making tool for cost and environmental management of construction, demolition and refurbishment projects.

Demolition Protocol 2008 builds on this success, with greater emphasis on environmental concerns and sustainable resource management. The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Demolition Protocol 2008 has been launched by Nigel Mattravers, ICE waste panel chair and Brian Menzies, project lead.

The updated version takes the principles of the waste hierarchy and develops methods which allow structures and buildings to be assessed with the aim of firstly encouraging their reuse, then deconstruction, followed by reclamation and recycling.

An updated version of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) Demolition Protocol has been launched today. The Protocol will aid industry in attaining the government’s 2012 target for a 50% reduction in construction and demolition waste going to landfill and the EU Waste Framework Directive target for 2020, which calls for a 70% increase in the re-use, recycling and other material recovery of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste.

Demolition Protocol 2008 supplements the previous 2003 document’s existing frameworks for the environmental and cost management of construction, demolition and refurbishment projects.

Mr Nigel Mattravers, Chairman of the ICE Waste and Resources Management Board, said: “Issues of cost and environmental sustainability can make managing buildings and structures at the end of their lives a complex job. The best decisions are made pro-actively, and the updated Protocol will enable policy-makers, clients, and agencies to better assess how they might re-use buildings, structures, elements, and products prior to demolition and recycling. The Protocol prioritises the need to re-use, then recycle, with landfill always as a last resort.”

The Protocol is now a common requirement within planning policy, tenders, contracts and voluntary agreements. It can also contribute to the provision of Site Waste Management Plans.

Dr Mervyn Jones, Construction Programme Manager at WRAP, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the ICE Demolition Protocol 2008. The last five years have seen an industry shift towards considering materials and resource efficiency from the outset. The updated Protocol communicates good practice in a clear and user friendly format and will go a long way towards enabling its users to make the most cost-effective and environmentally sound decisions from day one.”

The 2008 Protocol :
- Explains the role of policy-makers and the client team in delivering cost benefits, by adopting the Protocol
- Ensures that the principles of the waste hierarchy are adopted in the decision-making process for evaluating buildings, the fit out materials and structures
- Offers a process-driven approach to setting targets for deconstruction, reclamation and reuse
- Provides a Deconstruction/Demolition Recovery Index (DRI) – this is the percentage of building elements, products or materials to be reused or recycled
- Estimates bulk quantities through a pre-demolition audit, summarised in a Demolition Bill of Quantities (D-BOQ)
- Provides a new build recovery index (NBRI) – describing the percentage of building elements, products or materials recovered for use in the new build
- Demonstrates compliance with Site Waste Management Plan requirements
- Describes how carbon benefits, through avoided haulage movements, can be realised and estimated easily
- Provides data for in-house and local authority monitoring of annual construction and demolition waste arisings

The Demolition Protocol was initially developed by ICE’s Resource Sustainability Initiative, with funding provided from landfill tax credits and ICE’s Research and Development fund. There are no Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) associated with the Protocol’s use and adoption.