MEMORANDUM To: Ms.

Alison Jaenicke

From: George Saad Date: January 24, 2012 Re: Analysis of House Deconstruction Information Booklet as a Technical Document

This memo will analyze the House Deconstruction Information Booklet on how well it demonstrates the basic aspects of technical communication. The document was produced in July of 2011 and published by the Department of Environment Climate Change and Water NSW. The information booklet expresses the benefits of deconstructing different types of homes in effort to reduce landfill waste. Addresses Particular Readers The primary audiences for this booklet are environmental and structural engineers. The second page of the booklet describes how the environmentally aware consumers will have incentive to re-use materials from deconstruction lessening demolition waste. The time and cost comparisons on different homes are provided which are two aspects that the project managers would be very interested in. The author focuses on four types of houses to be deconstructed and assumes that the audience understands the different types. By analyzing Asbestos fibro, Weatherboard, Brick veneer, and full brick houses, the author limits his audience to structural engineers because they are the people who construct these different types of buildings and work with the materials used to build them. The different stages of deconstructing the house are broken down to show the materials being removed and make it easier for the environmental engineers to decide whether or not this process is going to be beneficial for them. The secondary audience consists of project managers and construction workers who will need to be aware of the fact that deconstruction may start to take place instead of demolition. Helps Readers Solve Problems This information booklet is trying to convince engineers that complete destruction of houses is the most beneficial route to taking down a building. The first page of the booklet explains the definition of house deconstruction along the side of the page. Deconstruction is taking a building apart and recovering the materials for re-use and recycling. Next the author brings about the question Deconstruction or Demolition? and lists the factors that need to be taken into consideration such as time and cost. I was very impressed with the facts that were provided on each case study on the deconstruction of the four houses. The document provided a brief description of each step of deconstruction along with the amount of materials in each house. Then explains how demolition may not be the best route depending on cost, available space, and safety. This allows the reader to gather the basic information and think about what tools and equipment would need to be used during deconstruction.

On the fourth page the booklet states the types of materials that have maximum potential for re-use or recycling are revealed. I liked how the materials were broken up into four main categories rather than a long list of materials. Finally the booklet explains the time it takes to deconstruct or demolish each of the four building types along with the cost comparisons to complete the different processes. Demolition was the most expensive process in every case study costing up to as much as $30,000 compared to $10,000 for deconstruction. The case studies of the four different houses gave the audience different examples of where to use deconstruction. Reflects an Organizations Goals and Culture The Department of Environment Climate Change and Water wants to reduce the amount of waste entering our nations landfills and the goal is to use deconstruction to do just that. By directing the booklet toward engineers who deal with construction and structures they are targeting the people who will be able to help complete this goal. The author educates these people on how to re-use and recycle certain materials on buildings. By providing the case studies of different buildings it allows engineers to take a more environmentally safe approach to building demolition and deconstruction. If more materials are recycled then the less energy will be used to manufacture raw materials, ultimately protecting us from air and water pollution. The document triggers the audiences emotions by telling them that being environmentally responsible is the right thing to do. It also states that by being environmentally responsible you can improve your image and reputation. This phrase puts somewhat of a guilty conscious on the audience because image and reputation mean a lot in the American society today. Produced Collaboratively Many people including technical communicators and design professionals collaboratively worked on this document. Although the document is not a large one, different skills were needed to contribute to the graphics and design used to create the booklet. Numerous professionals worked to arrange a mass amount of information in only a six page booklet and have it make an impact on the audience. For example at the end of the booklet there is an acknowledgements section to the 24 companies that the Department of Environment Climate Change and Water collaborated with to produce the booklet. Technical professionals went and did the case studies to receive the data for each of the four houses that were deconstructed. They then met with the technical communicators to edit and finalize the document. Uses Design to Increase Readability Overall the information booklet appears professional and is very well designed. The spacing and title headings make the document easy to navigate. Although this document does not have a table of contents it is still easy to understand because of the way it was organized. It first explains the steps of the deconstruction process in order of what needs to be taken apart first. Then it presents case studies on four different types of houses along with the time to deconstruct each house, cost analysis, and recyclable materials. Environmental benefits are explained at the end of the booklet to remind the audience that deconstruction is providing a cleaner earth will benefit us in the long run. The only issue with design that the document has

is the orange text with a peach background along the sides of pages two and six. These colors blend together and may be hard to read for someone with vision impairment. Consists of Words or Graphics or Both The booklet does an excellent job of incorporating graphics and words to make it interesting for the audience. Appropriate terms are used throughout the booklet allowing the audience to easily understand and analyze the information. The tables used in the booklet make the process of deconstruction and description of the materials appealing to the audience instead of boring them with ongoing text. The most interesting graphic was the bar graph used to show the cost of deconstruction compared to demolition. Presenting the information in this format helps the audience absorb the data much better. Summary The above characteristics prove that this is an excellent technical document. It addresses its audience and keeps them intrigued by delivering the information in a concise and organized manner. As a whole, the document effectively provides an interesting way to save money while protecting our environment.