Reports & Studies

Design Follows Availability: Affordable Dwelling Units Based on Reclaimed Materials in San Antonio (2023)

This report:

  • Addresses the central question: How can the City’s Material Innovation Center facilitate the development of a Salvage-to-ADU pipeline and influence related housing development policies?

  • Investigates and assesses pertinent technologies that can facilitate the use of reclaimed materials in the design and construction of ADUs in San Antonio

  • Examines the lifecycle of salvaged materials from design phase to construction in specific research applications

  • Explores the various array of available local reclaimed materials and their impact on the design process

  • Assesses the design, planning, and construction of medium-scale architectural models for ADUs from reclaimed materials

  • Provides findings and recommendations to scale reuse of reclaimed materials in housing applications in San Antonio

This report was prepared by Dr. Bastian Wibranek, Assistant Professor at the UTSA School of Architecture and Planning. Funding for the study was provided by the Office of Innovation’s Research and Development (R&D) Program.

Treasure in the Walls: Recovering Value Through Material Reuse in San Antonio (2021)

This report:

  • Quantifies the economic and environmental costs of demolition in San Antonio

  • Outlines the anticipated impacts of a deconstruction ordinance on local and regional efforts related to affordable housing, waste reduction, and public health

  • Identifies opportunities for local workforce development

  • Includes in-depth industry interviews from practitioners around the country, including Portland, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Palo Alto, and Chicago

  • Includes a nationwide deconstruction industry survey in the appendix

Funding for the study was provided by a solid waste pass-through grant from the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG).

Opportunity at Risk: San Antonio’s Older Affordable Housing Stock (2019)

This report:

  • Examines the preservation of “old houses” as a strategy for stabilizing long-term homeownership rates, increasing the availability of affordable rental units, and preventing displacement in inner-city neighborhoods

  • Analyzes housing price trends relative to household income

  • Evaluates demolition trends by building typology, age, and geographic location

  • Assesses how, where, and to what degree pre-1960 housing stock is providing affordable housing for San Antonio residents

  • Proposes strategies for ensuring long-term stabilization and affordability of existing affordable housing stock