Deconstruction emphasizes both the manual and mechanical disassembly, and salvage for reuse of as much of a structure's materials and components as possible.
If you were to look in a dictionary for a definition of the word "deconstruction," it probably won't be found-not yet, anyway. It's one of those words that grew out of the English language as a composite term to describe what is essentially the process by which a building is disassembled in the reverse order by which it was constructed. Inherent in this process is the reuse of as much of the salvaged materials and components of the structure rather than recycling and/or discarding the structure's materials and components in a landfill as construction and demolition waste.
Demolition contractors and the emerging deconstruction industry have a tendency to stereotype one another though they have much in common. Traditional "demolitionists" see deconstruction as limited to the manual disassembly of "stick-built" (wood/timber frame) residential structures. In their view, without government subsidies, non-profit organizations and welfare-to-work training programs, deconstruction projects would not exist at all. To the "deconstructionist," demolition contractors are brutes applying brute force to simply bring a building down and bury the remains. To them, this is a waste of both social and environmental opportunities. Like most stereotypes, there is some truth and in both stereotypes.