Masonry Magazine April 2007 Page. 36
RECYCLED MATERIALS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste was generated in 1996, the last year these figures were made available. Most of the waste came from demolition and renovation, while the rest came from new construction. Less than 30 percent of that waste was salvaged for recycling.
Contractors who do use salvaged materials say it adds an extra element to their projects. "[Recycled materials] have a purpose," said Fred Mahler, owner of Mahler Construction Co. Inc. of Lake Barrington, Ill., who has used salvaged bricks on projects. "We're saving Mother Earth."
Green Building Design
In August 1998, the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council launched the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System to promote sustainable building practices. LEED offers platinum, gold and silver certification for buildings that meet specific criteria, such as using recycled or salvaged materials.
A patchwork of city and state ordinances and legislation are now requiring more recycling of construction materials, some based on the LEED model. For example, Chicago requires all city buildings to be constructed to LEED standards. Chicago also recently adopted an ordinance requiring a certain percentage of construction and demolition waste to be recycled-25 percent for projects that had a permit issued in 2007, and 50 percent if the permit is issued in 2008.
LEED has also caught the attention of architects and builders. One project being considered for LEED gold level certification is the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center in Buford, Ga., a 59,000-square-foot building that employs several green design strategies (pictured on pages 32-33). It's designed to use 75 percent less potable water and 35 percent less energy than a conventional building.
"It's a living, dramatic example of sustainable building practices," said Meg Needle, AIA, LEED AP, an associate with the architectural firm Lord, Aeck & Sargent in Atlanta, and project manager for the Center.
In addition to a 40,000-square-foot green roof that reduces the building's air conditioning requirements, clerestory windows that provide natural sunlight and water-saving plumbing strategies that are projected to save 316,000 gallons of potable water annually, the building's exterior is clad with salvaged granite from nearby Elberton, Ga.; the granite was left over from companies that build gravestones, a popular business in the area.
By using a natural resource available locally, Needle's firm was able to secure LEED points for the recycled granite.
"Granite is just a great material. It is so sustainable that it holds up and looks good without showing signs of wear," Needle said. "It's a valuable asset. This post-industrial recycled material has so much to offer."
* The most rugged, versatile and cost effective tools of the trade
* The widest variety of styles and sizes, made from the finest materials
* Tools that last and last, even when used on the hardest stone