I have spent much of my career asking:

What happens when something reaches the end of its original purpose?

A building can become a source of materials. A discarded object can become a product. A pile of overlooked resources can become a business, a creative movement, or an entirely new local economy.

My work explores what happens between those moments: how policy, creativity, entrepreneurship, and practical systems can transform what we no longer need into something worth building with.

Current Research

From House to Harmony: Jimi Hendrix, Jane Jacobs, and the Alchemy of Architectural Salvage

What happens when a childhood home becomes culturally priceless but cannot be preserved?

I am currently teaming up with JOI Guitars, creators of the Harmonic Hendrix collection of guitars made from materials salvaged from Jimi Hendrix's childhood home. I am also writing a white paper based on this research for Architectural Salvage: Histories of Commerce and Guardianship, a 2027 conference at Ghent University.

My research follows the remarkable journey of Jimi Hendrix's childhood home from a modest Seattle bungalow to ten handcrafted guitars made from its salvaged materials.

When the house faced demolition, an unlikely guardian emerged: a real estate developer who recognized its cultural significance and spent years trying to save it. His plans for a museum ultimately failed, but historically significant materials from the house were preserved. He imagined that the wood might someday become guitars.

That possibility was realized by luthier Reuben Forsland of JOI Guitars. Working with Authentic Hendrix, Forsland transformed salvaged wood, nails, paint, and electrical wiring into ten limited edition instruments. The guitars became works of visual art, musical instruments, cultural artifacts, and commercial objects. A portion of the proceeds supported the Jimi Hendrix Memorial Park in Seattle.

Using Jane Jacobs's Systems of Survival, I explore how this unlikely chain of actors complicates the relationship between commerce and guardianship. The developer protected heritage. Hendrix's family guarded the musician's legacy. The luthier, artist, and engineer transformed architectural fragments into objects capable of carrying history forward through art and music.

I argue that artists, engineers, and craftspeople can become an “alchemical zipper,” connecting commerce and guardianship through the creative transformation of reclaimed materials.

From house to harmony, architectural salvage becomes heritage, art, commerce, and philanthropy.

Breaking it Down: A Comprehensive Guide to Building Deconstruction and Material Reuse Policy

Breaking It Down examines what happens when we choose to take buildings apart rather than simply destroy them.

Drawing on my experience in building deconstruction, material reuse, policy development, and Portland's Deconstruction Advisory Group, the book explores how local governments and communities can create practical policies that keep valuable building materials in use.

Part policy guide and part personal account, Breaking It Down follows the complicated work of turning an idea into a functioning system. Each chapter includes practical insights and a “The Shorthand” section with key points for quick reference.

It is written for policymakers, advocates, industry professionals, and anyone interested in building systems that make reuse easier, more practical, and more common.