Dundas

In the heart of Trinity Bellwoods, Ouroboros Deconstruction led the full structural deconstruction of 1113 Dundas Street West, a two storey Italianate brick home built circa 1884 and the oldest remaining building on its block. Delivered in partnership with CreateTO, this project marked the City of Toronto’s first municipally supported deconstruction pilot, designed to test whether material recovery could meaningfully replace demolition as standard practice.

Our scope included a full reclamation audit, hazardous materials abatement, interior strip, manual dismantling of the structure, foundation removal, material documentation, and lifecycle assessment. Materials were mapped room by room and tracked through Airtable, documenting quantity, age, condition, and destination for reuse, recycling, or landfill.

Recovered materials included old growth dimensional lumber, hardwood flooring, plaster with lime reuse potential, original millwork, brick and stone, doors, windows, hardware, vintage lighting, and cast iron radiators. The salvaged lumber is now being prototyped into Nail Laminated Timber panels, extending the life of 19th century material into contemporary construction.

The results speak clearly. Over 90 percent of the building’s materials were diverted from landfill. Deconstruction created eight times more jobs than standard demolition, supporting skilled trades, researchers, and entry level workers in a collaborative circular process. While costs exceeded mechanical demolition by approximately 20%, avoided tipping fees, job creation, recovered material value, and embodied carbon retention demonstrate that deconstruction is both an environmental and economic strategy when aligned with policy.

1113 Dundas was not simply a project. It was proof of concept. It demonstrated that careful dismantling, rigorous documentation, and coordinated reuse can reduce waste, preserve embodied carbon, and support local green jobs at a municipal scale.

Read the full Deconstruction Report here:

1113 Dundas Street West Deconstruction Report

This pilot now serves as a foundation for policy conversations, infrastructure planning, and future city led deconstruction mandates across Toronto.