Proper construction waste segregation enables material recovery and prevents contamination of recyclable material. (publicdomainpictures.net)

Jessie Haas

Recent presentations from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Solutions Center (A Smashing Success: Sustainable Management of Demolition Debris | Better Buildings Initiative) on handling construction waste and bird-safe buildings shared a common theme that some adult in our past surely tried to teach every one of us; it pays to think ahead. Also, setting an intention and doing your research can be very powerful.

On construction waste, Sally Yi, a Honda engineer, talked about the very clear guidelines Honda sets for every demolition it undertakes. These are typically parts of a factory production line or manufacturing facility and may be quite large scale, yet the kind of thinking that goes into minimizing waste is applicable to almost everything we do. Honda has a plan it calls Triple Action to Zero (Triple Action to Zero) by which it is moving toward net zero CO2 emissions, 100% use of sustainable materials, and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Its goal is to reuse all finite materials such as cobalt and lithium in a closed-loop production system. It takes the same approach to construction waste, by using the same kind of hierarchy we are encouraged to use in our own households–source reduction, recycling, and recovery with disposal as the smallest part of the inverted pyramid.

Also—bins. Each demolition site is required by contract to have separate bins, with large magnetic labels on them, for different categories of materials such as scrap steel, scrap wood, e-waste, and copper. That last is a biggie; Yi was very clear that Honda wants to retain all the copper out of every demolition job, rather than see it leave the site with the contractor. It is stipulated in the contract before work starts that bins must be regularly inspected to be sure workers are complying, and there is no contamination. Yi also emphasized working with recycling entities (who are regularly audited to be sure the waste they take on goes where they say it does). Recyclers can tell a contractor ahead of time of any constraints they have, especially as to the size chunks of material they can transport and handle.

Storm water is also an aspect of waste that is given serious consideration ahead of time, with mitigations including fencing, covering waste piles, using silt fences, and adding containment around any bins that might leak.

Kinley Deller of the King County, WA, Materials Diversion Program (KC), spoke about the 20-year program on separation of wastes in mostly homes and commercial buildings in his area. Similar to the Northeast, flooding is a growing problem in Washington, and the government has a program to buy homes and business in flood plains that have been flooded twice. The county uses a similar hierarchy to Honda’s—reuse, relocate, deconstruct, salvage, demolish. Some buildings can be moved to higher ground. Some can be transported by barge to offshore islands, which is cost-competitive with building a new house.

Next comes deconstruction. It typically takes a crew of six to seven people three or four weeks to dismantle a house by hand, but KC is able to do it in two to three weeks using a hybrid system. Large elements like walls and roofs are taken off in one piece using heavy equipment and placed on the ground, where crews are able to deconstruct them much more safely and quickly. As part of its program to create jobs, KC has begun training crews of recently incarcerated people, teaching them marketable skills and paying them while they are in the training program. Crews also receive a three-week environmental literacy course.

De-nailed and sorted, wood finds a temporary home at a salvage lumber warehouse. Smaller-dimension lumber is often finger-joined for use in engineered wood projects as laminated timber. The market for reclaimed wood includes contractors, salvage stores, and environmental building stores. In Washington and Oregon, salvaged lumber can be used without a new grade stamp, which saves inspection time and expense.

For house demolition as for a Honda production line, the most basic tool in the chest is the well-labeled bin or stack, and the attention of managers to make sure everything gets put in the right pile.

Bird-friendly building (For the Birds: Energy Co-Benefits of Bird-Friendly Buildings | Better Buildings Initiative) is all about reducing or eliminating bird-strikes, which kill millions of birds every year. Glass is the worst killers. Some cities, such as New York, have enacted ordinances to try to prevent bird strikes, and architects have been learning a lot about what works. Birds’ eyes evolved to fly full-speed between narrow openings between objects, and to signal that a pane of glass is something solid, not thin air, requires a lot of coverage—grids of ceramic or engraved dots, or applied films. That sounds like it would decrease the functionality of the glass for human purposes, but done with care, bird-safe window treatments can actually make a building more comfortable and energy efficient. According to the International Window Film Association (IWFA | Home), film can reduce a home’s energy bill 5 to 10% a year, minimize temperature fluctuations, enhance privacy, (provide space for ads or art), and offer UV protection.

Also important is to reduce outdoor lighting. Exterior lights should be activated by motion detectors and interior lights should be shaded. This also helps protect bats. City buildings with extensive glass frequently have a problem with excess solar gain; adding bird-friendly glass can reduce cooling costs and eliminate bird-strike, as was recently proved at the Javitz Center in New York. Architects installed glass with ceramic frits and put in a green roof. The new habitat drew many birds, but none of them are flying into the new windows. A win for everyone.