History Repeats Itself: Recycling School Buildings
July 17, 2002 - History has a way of repeating itself and one elementary school in Wake County is learning that lesson first hand. When Apex Elementary students come back to their campus for the 2003/2004 school year, it will look completely different without the 1935-era buildings, and yet, the past will have a strong presence.
At the beginning of July, construction crews demolished several
classroom buildings and the cafeteria. But, instead of simply
hauling away the rubble to a landfill, it is being crushed
and re-used to construct the new facility. Over 80 
percent
of the original building is being recycled and more than 50
percent will go back into the new structure.
"This is an exciting project because it allows us to do a lot for this campus and do our part to save the environment at the same time," said Court Crosby, WCPSS project manager. "By crushing the demolished rubble and re-using most of it for the new building and parking lot, we're keeping construction materials out of the landfills."
After the demolition, crews began separating the building materials into piles for recycling. Metals, such as copper, tin, aluminum, cast iron, and steel will be sorted and sent to mills to be recycled as construction supplies and other items. The trees and shrubs will be ground up and used as mulch on site.
If you recycle plastic grocery bags, the bags may become park benches. WCPSS plans to provide Apex Elementary park benches made of plastic lumber from recycled plastic bags.
WCPSS and representatives from Durham, Orange and Wake counties worked with the Triangle J Council of Government to develop High Performance Guidelines for public facilities built in the Triangle area. The guidelines, released in February 2001, focus on ways to save energy and water, reduce the use of materials, reduce indoor pollutants, and save taxpayer dollars. Guidelines cover 45 topics and range from waste management to erosion control.
"With
one of the largest building programs in this jurisdiction,
we feel it's important for us to set an example and be responsible
with our resources," said Jyoti Sharma, director of facility
planning for WCPSS.
One of the key developers of the sustainability guidelines, Sharma said she hopes Apex Elementary will be designated a "Bronze" Building under the Green Building Evaluation System. Projects earn points depending on which and how many of the features are a part of the facility's design. Once the points are tallied, a facility may earn a "green" title ranging from Bronze, to Silver, and up to Gold and Platinum.
In addition to the massive recycling effort, WCPSS is incorporating several other "green" features into the renovation and addition project. For example, potable water for landscape irrigation is limited by using drought resistant plants (instead of a permanent landscape irrigation system).
WCPSS will improve the school's energy efficiency by installing light shelves, which increase the amount of sunlight in the classrooms by bouncing the light onto ceiling tiles.
In terms of the site, stormwater will pass through natural, vegetative treatment areas. Trees will provide shade for at least 30 percent of the parking lot and walkways, and the exterior lighting on campus will prevent reflection onto adjacent properties.
A few of the other sustainability measures include the use of recycled carpets which meet Green Building Indoor Air Quality requirements; low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, sealants and adhesives; HVAC equipment with low-level noise; permanent temperature and humidity monitoring system; and a 30-day pre-occupancy ventilation period.
Apex Elementary students will be housed at the new Holly Ridge Elementary for the 2002/2003 school year while their campus undergoes the major renovation and addition. The $11.3 million PLAN 2000 project includes demolishing three classroom buildings and the cafeteria; consolidating the campus by connecting existing buildings; building new classrooms, child nutrition and plant operation spaces; upgrading gym and support spaces; expanding the parking lot; improving traffic patterns for safety; and providing maintenance upgrades.
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