mission + vision

OUR MISSION | To increase the value and accessibility of building material waste streams through facilitation, collaboration, education, and advocacy.

OUR VISION | Emergent Structures is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the land-filling of building materials through innovative re-purposing projects. We facilitate collaborations between architects, developers, engineers, contractors, property owners and municipal governments in order to replace short-sighted demolition practices with sustainable deconstruction and re-use strategies. We develop innovative material re-use initiatives that foster community development and highlight the triple bottom line value of material re-purposing. Through piloting a portfolio of strategies in Savannah, Georgia since 2009, we have developed a comprehensive framework which can be applied by municipalities and large developers, as well as facilitation services which have been designed to successfully apply this framework.

Emergent Structures works toward transforming the public’s perception of waste. We believe there are ways to empower local populations by facilitating the distribution of these formerly unwanted materials throughout the community, including schools, other non-profits; municipal buildings and parks, and local and indigenous craft incubators.