makeUse
make | use
Understanding the value within existing buildings before decisions remove it.
MAKEUSE provides independent advisory services to enables owners, developers, architects, builders and project teams to understand the value within existing buildings before redevelopment, refurbishment or demolition.
Better decisions begin with a better understanding of what already exists.
Heritage Listed ResidenceHobart, Newtown, Australia -
Restoration of one of the two towers
Japan - Minka House Joinery
Designed for disassembly with the Carpenter's marks identifying member positions for assembly; today, this enables the members to be reused, repurposed and reassembled.
Copenhagen Denmark, Lendager Group
Sections of existing brickwork are cut and retained as intact panels, perserving the cement mortar and structural strength. Each panel is supported within a welded steel frame, creating reusable masonry elements of varying sizes.
the challenge
The challenge is not demolition.It is understanding what exists before demolition.Existing buildings contain more than materials. They embody knowledge, craftsmanship, history and future opportunity.Too often, decisions are made before this value is understood. Information becomes fragmented, opportunities are overlooked, and valuable resources are unnecessarily lost.The result is not simply material waste. It is the loss of information, value, and future opportunity.MAKEUSE exists to improve the information that informs project decisions, bridging the coordination gap, building assets, and future opportunities
WHAT WE DO
Independent advice for better decisions.MAKEUSE provides independent advisory services to enable owners, developers, architects, builders, and project teams to make informed decisions at the earliest stages of redevelopment, refurbishment, and demolition projects.
SERVICESPre-Demolition Audits & Pre-Deconstruction Audits
Independent assessment of existing buildings prior to demolition or deconstruction.Pre-Redevelopment Assessments
Early-stage assessment of existing buildings to inform redevelopment.Existing Asset & Heritage Assessments
Assessment of existing buildings, heritage assets and their future potential.Material & Procurement Assessments
Assessment of existing materials and components to inform procurement and reuse.Circular Construction Advisory
Independent advice informed by project assessment.
The information gained through assessment forms the basis for independent advice, supporting informed decisions about retention, recovery, deconstruction, procurement and future use.
OUTCOMESExisting Asset Insights
Understanding existing building assetsBetter Decision Support
Enabling informed decisions.Recovery Opportunities
Identifiying opportunities for retention, recovery and reuseImproved Project Outcomes
Enabling improved project outcomes.
how we think
The MAKEUSE approach is founded on a simple observation.
Existing buildings are strategic assets.
Every existing building contains materials, knowledge and opportunities that deserve to be understood before its future is determined.Information precedes recovery.
Without reliable information, valuable materials, opportunities and embedded value are lost before recovery can begin.The coordination gap.
Recovery is often limited not by the availability of materials, but by the lack of coordination between those who own them, those who recover them, and those who could use them.
Material intelligence organises information to support informed decisions before redevelopment, refurbishment or demolition.Circular construction begins before demolition.
The opportunity to retain value begins long before the first building element is removed.
why makeuse
Patrick Denell
Architect| Founder, MAKEUSE.
My work began with making. As a carpenter and joiner, I learned to understand materials, connections, limitations, and the decisions that determine how things are put together.It extended into building, where I came to understand how components become systems.It continued into architecture where I saw how those systems influence not only what we build, but what we choose to keep, adapt, or discard.Over time, I came to see buildings not simply as finished objects, but as assemblies of materials, knowledge, decisions and future possibilities.One recurring question has shaped my work.Why do valuable building components become waste?The challenge is rarely the physical act of demolition itself.
It is the coordination gap—the systematic loss of information, value and opportunity before deconstruction even begins.Its purpose is to understand the value within existing buildings before decisions determine their future through the application of material intelligenceBy identifying and organising information about existing materials and components, MAKEUSE creates pathways that support recovery, procurement and reuse across the built environment.Circular construction creates the opportunity to retain value already embedded within our buildings. We must stop viewing existing buildings as waste liabilities and start recognising them as strategic assets.The future of construction will be shaped not only by what we create, but by how intelligently we make use of what already exists.
START THE CONVERSATION
If you are planning redevelopment, refurbishment or demolition, and you would like to better understand the value within an existing building before decisions are made , I welcome the opportunity to discuss your project and it’s potential.
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