What is a Pre-demolition Audit (PDA)?

Pre-demolition audits (PDAs) are surveys undertaken prior to deconstruction, refurbishment, major redevelopment or full demolition. The audit is undertaken by a third-party independent specialist to review all existing buildings, structures, hard surfaces and FF&E within the scope of the demolition, refurbishment or fit-out zone.

What is the aim of a Pre-Deconstruction Audit?

A Material Index PDA provides a full catalogue of components and materials present in the existing building. It includes key product information, associated embodied carbon and whether they are suitable for reclamation through reuse on or off-site.

All our material audits are aimed at enabling reuse at scale. These include:

• Fast, accurate and detailed Pre-Deconstruction Audits, Pre-Demolition Audits (PDAs) and Pre-Refurbishment Audits to meet BREEAM and GLA requirements
• Rapid Material Reclamation Audits focusing on the materials that can be donated or sold for reuse off-site
• Pre-Redevelopment Audits (PRDAs) to contribute towards Circular Economy Statements, particularly to meet planning requirements in London Boroughs such as Westminster and The City of London
• Materials Passports generation at project completion to enable future reuse
• Bespoke reporting tailored to company wide circularity targets and metrics

Other terms that may refer to a PDA: Pre-deconstruction audits, pre-refurbishment audits, materials audits, reclamation audits.

See: Pre-deconstruction Audits

When do I need a Pre-deconstruction Audit?

Projects submitting GLA Circular Economy Statements as part of a planning application within the GLA are strongly encouraged to submit an independent pre-deconstruction audit at pre-application stage. See: GLA CE Guidance, Section 4.6

Projects aiming for Wst01 credits under BREEAM New Construction or BREEAM Refurbishment and Fitout are encouraged to complete a PDA at the Concept Design Stage (equivalent to RIBA stage 2) prior to strip-out or demolition works.

BREEAM Wst01 & GLA Compliant Audits

Material Index Pre-Demolition Audits the criteria for BREEAM environmental certification (BREEAM Wst01). An audit through us can help you achieve up to 4 BREEAM credits for Construction Waste Reduction, increasing construction resource efficiency and diverting resources from landfill.

Our audits support compliance with both current and upcoming requirements, including:

• Greater London Authority (GLA) Circular Economy Statement Guidance
• London Plan Policy SI 7: Circular Economy
• SI 2: Whole Life-Cycle Carbon Assessment
• Acknowledgment of Westminster’s Retrofit First Policy (consultation version)

We also meet the requirements of the Greater London Authority’s Circular Economy Statements, and provide data according to European Waste Codes, BREEAM waste codes, Uniclass component codes, according to building shearing layers.