PDA
Pre-Demolition Audit.
AI-assisted pre-demolition audits, carried out before strip-out and demolition. We catalogue every material on site and set a reuse pathway for each, so what would be waste becomes a costed asset register your project team can act on.
What is a Pre-Demolition Audit?
Book an auditA pre-demolition audit is a survey carried out before a building comes down, by an independent third-party specialist. You may also see it called a pre-demolition survey, a pre-demo audit, a pre-deconstruction audit, a demolition audit or a demolition waste audit. We walk the building level by level and catalogue every material and component, then set out what can be kept and where there are opportunities for reuse.
If retention is still being decided at pre-application, that is a pre-redevelopment audit. If the building is staying and being refitted, it is a pre-refurbishment audit.
- What each item is, its quantity and its condition
- Whether it can be retained, reused on-site, reused off-site, recycled, or sent to waste as a last resort
- The output is an Asset Register and a written report your project team can act on
- Suitable for both planning requirements and BREEAM Wst01 credits
Why you need a PDA?
UK construction, demolition and excavation account for around 60% of the country's waste, and under 4% of it is reused. Most of what comes out of a building is sent to waste because nobody assessed it first, and a pre-demolition audit is the evidence that it was.
- Expected as a planning condition by most London boroughs
- Earns BREEAM Wst 01 credits, required at RIBA Stage 2 under BREEAM V7
- Provides granular audit data for Circular Economy Statements, rather than estimates
- Lets the demolition contractor sequence works around salvage
A Material Index PDA includes.
Site Survey.
Full site survey
Digital Audit & Workshops.
Digital Audit on the MI Platform, with full project team access
Circular Economy Workshop / Optioneering
Compliance Reporting.
PDF audit report
PDF & CSV Asset Registers
Audit Enquiry.
Tell us about your project and we will come back with a scope and a fee proposal.
It helps to include:
- The site address and approximate floor area (GIA)
- The audit you need, or the planning, BREEAM or GLA requirement it is for
- Your programme: when you need the report, and when strip-out or demolition starts
- Any drawings, asbestos surveys or previous audits of the building
We have completed over 250 audits across the UK, to BREEAM, GLA and LEED requirements. We aim to respond the same day, or within 24 hours, and can be on site within 5 days.
Pre-Demolition audits and planning.
For schemes referable to the Mayor, the GLA's Circular Economy Statement guidance (opens in new tab) expects a pre-demolition audit at outline and full application. The GLA asks for:
- An independent specialist in reclaiming materials
- Target reuse and reclamation rates
- A schedule of brokers for each reclaimed item
- More than a list of waste routed to crushing
Material Index Audits.
We run AI-assisted pre-demolition audits before strip-out and demolition works start. Our auditors walk every level and space of a building, photographing and logging what is there, and our platform classifies each item, estimates quantity and condition, and assigns it a pathway: retain, reuse on-site, reuse off-site, recycle, or waste as a last resort.
An audit is only worth the reuse it leads to, so every survey runs through to a plan. You end up with a structured Asset Register that satisfies BREEAM Wst 01 and supports planning conditions, and reusable items can be brokered to our 300+ registered Trade Partners, each leaving site with a Goods Transfer Note.
Case Studies.
33 Cavendish SquareBeam
A Pre-Demolition Audit and Pre-Redevelopment Audit survey of a 1962 tower cluster and retail podium at Oxford Circus. The scheme keeps much of the existing frame.
Read the case study
GSK BrentfordJohn F Hunt
A Material Reclamation Audit and tracking dashboard for John F Hunt. We brokered the reclaimed material that came out of it.
Read the case studyHow does a Material Index PDA meet compliance?
Compliance
- BREEAM Wst01: up to 4 credits for Construction Waste Reduction
- GLA Circular Economy Statement Guidance
- London Plan Policy SI 7 (Circular Economy)
- London Plan Policy SI 2 (Whole Life-Cycle Carbon)
- Westminster Retrofit First Policy
- Data provided in European Waste Codes, BREEAM waste codes, Uniclass component codes, and by building shearing layers
Ideal for
- Demolition and deconstruction projects
- BREEAM-targeted developments
- GLA planning applications requiring Circular Economy Statements
- Portfolio-wide material management programmes
Areas Material Index covers.
We deliver audits across London and the UK. Get in touch to start your project.
Audit to Action.
Every audit is a live inventory. Use it to catalogue, manage exchange and track your materials. Material Index offers follow-on services to broker your materials to registered Trade Partners before strip-out or deconstruction begins.
Audit
Qualified auditors catalogue every component on site using our audit app.
Collaborate
The project team reviews the inventory together on the MI platform and decides what to retain, reuse or sell.
Exchange
We broker materials to registered Trade Partners through the marketplace, with full tracking and reporting.
FAQ.
What is a pre-demolition audit?
A survey before deconstruction, refurbishment or demolition, carried out by an independent specialist. It catalogues every material on site with quantities, condition, embodied carbon and reuse potential, which is the evidence BREEAM Wst 01 and the GLA Circular Economy Statement Guidance ask for.
When do I need a pre-demolition audit?
At pre-application for a GLA Circular Economy Statement, and at Concept Design (RIBA Stage 2) for BREEAM Wst 01.
Is a pre-demolition audit required for BREEAM?
Yes. Under BREEAM New Construction, Wst 01 awards a credit for a pre-demolition audit at Concept Design, and the same audit supports the resource-efficiency and diversion-from-landfill credits, and responsible sourcing under Mat 03.
What does a pre-demolition audit report include?
A full Asset Register with quantities, condition and embodied carbon, each item given a pathway in waste-hierarchy order, with reuse and diversion targets and recommendations. The project team also gets live access to the audit on the Material Index platform.
How much does a pre-demolition audit cost?
It depends on the floor area (GIA), building type and programme. Send us the address, approximate GIA and when you need the report, and we will come back with a scope and fee, usually the same day or within 24 hours.
How quickly can you complete one?
We can get to site at short notice and return the report within about five working days, so it fits around your demolition or strip-out programme.
Do I need one for refurbishment, or only full demolition?
Both. Anywhere materials are being removed there is value to recover and waste to divert. See our pre-refurbishment audit.
What do you need from us to carry out the audit?
Access to the building and, where available, floor plans, an asset or FF&E list and your programme. We work from whatever information exists and capture the rest on site.