This session is made possible by the 1772 Foundation. To learn more, visit our Partners page.

The widespread practice of demolishing buildings instead of rehabilitating them was established 80 years ago. Since then, the construction and demolition industry has replaced traditional reuse practices all over the world, now generating an estimated third of the world’s waste. In American cities, historic homes are being demolished at alarming rates. Their fabric is deposited in landfills, continuing a short-sighted trend that threatens the health of our communities and accelerates climate change.

Mae Bowley is a leader in the charge to reestablish deconstruction and reuse as core preservation ethics. We agree that historic buildings should stay standing - but when they can’t, they should be handled with intention. They should be researched, documented, and carefully deconstructed. They should never end up in a landfill. It is her mission to set the standard, grounded in preservation, for the ethical and sustainable removal of historic buildings when preservation in place is not possible.

Through an NCPTT grant for the development of best-practices publications, a DOL approved Registered Apprenticeship Program in Historic Deconstruction, and policy efforts, Mae is working to ensure that the new green economy respects the past while moving into the future.