Uncovering Supply-Chain Insights by Mapping Landscape Materials

Dolly’s Park Materials Map

Dolly’s Park Materials Map

Every landscape material we specify has a hidden story, sometimes beginning far from the place where it’s installed. Mapping all the material origins of a project has the power to not only trace material histories, but it can reveal supply chain insights that may otherwise go unnoticed. We recently analyzed our Dolly’s Park Materials Map and it gave us some new insights about salvage and sustainability:

1.      Most of our salvaged materials (timber, brick, live trees) were obtained from locations within a 3-minute drive. These materials were harvested straight from their place of demolition and finished/installed at the park, which is a very efficient way to salvage.

2.      The recycled materials (soil, RCA) came from stockpiles within a 10-20 minute radius. Because they need to be stored in an interim location, storage space is needed, which is often in the outer boroughs.

3.      Distributors of newly manufactured materials were in that same 10–20 minute radius. Again, the need for storage space puts distributors in affordable locations.

4.      Lastly, the quarries and manufacturers that make new materials were all located hours away from the park, if not in different states.

The takeaway: Salvage is a powerful way to decarbonize our projects if we have the infrastructure in place to facilitate the transfer of materials quickly from supply to demand. We often have more valuable material that we know right around us, and a salvage and reuse portal can help smaller projects access that material. This will both save demolition material from being hauled away to landfill and save new raw material from being extracted and manufactured in the hinterlands. It’s a win-win situation! RECLAIMNYC is working to grow the circular design and construction movement, please reach out if these ideas resonate with you and you’d like to get involved!