Landfill Detour
Duke reuses and recycles construction debris
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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Durham, NC -- When the Trinity College science building on East Campus was transformed into a new home for humanities departments, the entire building was gutted, resulting in about 800 tons of construction debris such as drywall, wiring and old plumbing fixtures.
Instead of transporting the debris to the Durham County landfill, Duke reused structural components such as exterior brick walls and interior support columns and recycled 75 percent of materials removed from the building.
“We recycled about 600 tons of debris, including every piece of wire conduit, dry wall, plaster and scrap metal,” said Ray Walker, the staff architect with Duke’s Facilities Management Department (FMD) who oversaw the $11 million renovation last year.
By reusing and recycling construction materials, Duke is reducing waste and increasing the life cycle of valuable resources. Recycled materials are also used in new campus buildings as part of Duke’s commitment to sustainable design.
“Reusing and recycling not only saves a lot of debris from going to the landfill, but it boosts sustainability by giving the construction materials a second life,” said Tavey McDaniel Capps, Duke’s environmental sustainability coordinator.
From the renovation of the former Trinity College science building to the construction of a rooftop heliport at Duke Hospital, Duke is exploring innovative ways to recapture building debris for use. Tons of construction materials will be recycled in upcoming campus projects such as the renovation of Baldwin Auditorium and demolitions of the P.M. Gross Chemistry Building and Bell Medical Research Building.
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During construction of the Duke LifeFlight heliport last year, more than 400 tons of roof ballast stone and 90,000 square feet of roofing insulation were removed from the Duke Hospital roof. The stone was used to stabilize roads in Duke Forest, and the insulation has been used in numerous projects such as installing a new roof on the Durham Regional laundry facility.
“That insulation has turned into the gift that keeps on giving,” said Tim Pennigar, construction coordinator with Medical Center Engineering and Operations.
In other projects, recycling was a priority. Wiring, drywall and insulation were recycled during the Perkins Library expansion, while asphalt from a demolished parking lot near the Divinity School was recycled during construction of the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS). The CIEMAS project also incorporated structural steel, aluminum building panels and ceiling tiles made from post-consumer recycled content.
Using recycled materials and diverting debris from the landfill help buildings earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, which Duke requires of all new construction and renovations on campus.
“The information about which materials are being reused and recycled has to flow all the way down the line – from the architect and project manager to the contractor and the person pushing the wheelbarrow,” Walker said.
“It’s rewarding to know that your extra efforts toward sustainable development have resulted in a wonderful, useful space with much less impact to the environment.”
