eku science building sets new campus standard in green construction
July 10
As required by Omni in the construction documents, Denark Construction has collected all of the trash from the project and sent it to C&M Disposal & Recycling, a local sorting and recycling center. As a result, 18.8% of the trash has found to be wood that can be recycled, 10% is usable metals, and smaller amounts of reclaimed plastic and cardboard have been recycled. In addition, 31% of the total weight of the trash material is being used as clean fill on site, saving significant energy and money on the movement in/out of alternative forms of landfill. In all, over 1 million pounds of construction waste has been sorted and separated, setting a new precedent on EKU’s campus, which has previously not tracked this construction activity.
In a modern world where buildings account for 70% of raw materials use and 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), the EKU Science Building seeks environmentally conscious use of materials and resources in several other ways as well. The exterior of the building is comprised of approximately 50% brick, 40% zinc, and 10% concrete, all of which are manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site. The use of recycled woods and masonry also reduces environmental impact.
The Science Building, which has been privately toured by several campus groups including President Doug Whitlock, and is on schedule to be completed September 2011. See construction happening live on the the project web cam!
