Page 87 - Beyond Decommissioning

68 Beyond Decommissioning

With certain properties, reuse can be problematic. Where the property is structurally
unsound or the local/regional authorities cannot find a competent property owner or
manager, demolition may become the only viable option to stop further deterioration
and accommodate safety concerns.
Generally, full demolition (without reuse in sight) should be viewed as the last
resort; most stakeholders would prefer to work with the existing owner to perform
the necessary repairs and rehabilitation, and launch a redevelopment project. How-
ever, demolition is still compatible with the later transfer and reuse of the facility’s
land. Should demolition be inevitable, at least the most significant parts of the facility
should be documented for later consultation by researchers, students, or other con-
cerned parties. A recent example is given in Bentley (2017). The Energy Factory
Knappenrode in Saxony, Germany was a former coal-processing facility, now a
museum. Some superfluous or visually unattractive equipment will be dismantled,
given that the plant’s large footprint and its many components make it difficult and
costly to maintain them all in original sizes and forms. However, to preserve the
cultural heritage of the plant, environmental authorities required that comprehensive
documentation is compiled before any refurbishment occurred. To fulfill these
requirements a 3D laser scanning was carried out. A practical method to quickly
and accurately reproduce the layout of the plant had to be designed.
The team used the data set from the scans to create architectural drawings of floor
plans and cross sections as point clouds, importing them into the software Pointools
for visualization and integration into the digital historical building stock. The software
allowed to quickly remove spurious elements to focus instead on the essential com-
ponents. Team members could develop visual documentation with complex image
retouching much faster than in ordinary photo documentation, as well as navigate
the point clouds in real time for review. A uniform set of architectural plans is
now available for different purposes.
Beyond the rehabilitation of individual obsolete properties, authorities should inte-
grate these initiatives with larger-scale, community-wide revitalization efforts (e.g.,
affordable housing at the local and regional levels, jobs and economic development,
safe and healthy environments), and long-term land use and growth management
planning.
Following plant characterization and identification of back-end resources, the plant
owner develops and implements a plan for decommissioning. Preferably this planning
should take account of the selected end use. For many newer plants, decommissioning
plans are drafted and approved by local or national authorities, even before design
and construction of the plant. But for older plants, decommissioning plans must in
many cases be developed and implemented after decades of operations. In addition,
many older plants were constructed using asbestos, lead paint, or other regulated
materials, whose management has become more stringent over time. The planning
for decommissioning of nuclear facilities is covered by several IAEA documents,
for example, International Atomic Energy Agency (2004, 2011).
Procurement methods for adaptive reuse projects face the same challenges as other
projects. The process of procurement of a well-redeveloped building begins with the