Renovation is already the dominant mode of construction in Europe, and it’s only going to grow. Yet in most projects, the conversation about materials still starts too late — after the brief is set, after the budget is locked, after the decision to demolish has already been made.
The pre-demolition audit changes that logic. Done well, it reframes the site not as a waste problem to manage but as a material resource to plan around — structural elements, facades, finishes, technical equipment, all inventoried before a single bolt is loosened. What’s reusable on site? What can go to a salvage company? What needs a recycling stream? What should never have been specified in the first place?
In practice, it rarely goes that smoothly. Audits are commissioned late, salvage companies are brought in as an afterthought, and the materials that could have been recovered end up in a skip.
So: at what stage do you start thinking about materials in a renovation project? Do you work with pre-demolition audits — and if so, do they actually shape decisions upstream, or do they mostly document what’s already been decided?