Sustainability by Design: Deconstruction and Adaptive Reuse
In 2006, a global designer and manufacturer of adaptable workspace environments, launched a significant renovation of its headquarters. The two-phase initiative encompasses the overhaul of 300,000 sq. ft. of space, including the addition of a 35,000 sq. ft. glass atrium. The company is targeting LEED-NC (New Construction) Gold certification when the renovation is completed in 2008.
Phase one of the project included deconstructing a sizeable portion of the existing building. From the beginning, efforts were made to divert as much construction waste as possible away from the landfill. Initial targets were set to recycle or salvage up to 75 percent of refuse. However, by the end of the deconstruction phase, more than 99 percent of construction waste had been recycled, reused, or down-cycled.
Deconstruction statistics and related strategies provide the details:
- More than 321 tons of steel and 12.5 tons of other metals were recycled, including the 1.25-ton copper canopy that served as Center's main entrance.
- Concrete waste and general refuse were down-cycled for aggregate used in road base construction.
- More than 58,000 tons of carpet tiles were removed. Some went directly to other facilities for re-installation, or were donated to area schools; the rest went to a carpet tile recycling company for cleaning and resale, or down-cycling.
- Nine tons of window glass was combined with three tons of concrete waste dust from manufacturing operations to produce 8,000 concrete blocks for the new construction, diverting both materials away from their respective waste streams.
- Topsoil was stockpiled for reuse when the grounds are re-landscaped.
- 75 workstations from the Center were donated to a non-profit organization.
The deconstruction effort also included the recovery of considerably smaller amounts of material:
- 75 gallons of hydraulic fluid from the building elevator were treated and re-used elsewhere.
- Items as minor as door locksets were removed intact and reused in other facilities, and copper was stripped from cabling and recycled.
By combining reuse, recycling, down-cycling and material donations, we were able to minimize the long-term environmental impact of a construction project of considerable magnitude.
When completed in 2008, the Center will use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology to run almost all key facility systems including lighting, HVAC, database and other building processes. Although total square footage will increase by 20 percent, we expect energy use within the space to remain at pre-renovation levels due to the building's improved sustainability performance. Raised floors, moveable walls and adaptable furniture solutions will further articulate the company's vision of a workplace that enhances business performance while reducing the waste streams that result from more traditional building construction practices.
We believe that the way buildings and interiors are built and occupied are long overdue for some radical change. More sustainable, more beautiful, higher performance workspaces are the wave of the future. I promise that the new Center will be the leading example of change.