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71
Building 31 March 2006
Continuing this weeks sustainable special, Jobran Hammoud of Cyril Sweett examines the opportunities for, and costs associated with, increasing the use of recycled materials in construction
Recyled content
The York Building in west London has been designed by architect EPR and will be completed by the end of this year
Introduction
When people think about sustainable buildings, their first thought is often about energy efficiency and carbon emissions. However, making more efficient use of materials in construction is increasingly important for policy makers, clients, developers and contractors for both economic and environmental reasons. Site waste minimisation, recycling and the use of higher recycled content are practical and often cost saving or at least cost-neutral. In addition, they reduce demand for finite natural resources and the amount going to landfill. Construction clients and developers are increasingly looking to set requirements for re-used and recycled content. They see it as a relatively simple, practical and cost-neutral way of making a difference. Demonstrating measurable improvements on a project can assist: Developers who are using sustainability as a differentiator when attracting corporate clients Contractors needing an edge when tendering Developers aiming to satisfy planning authorities environmental demands Blue-chip companies wanting to demonstrate commitment to corporate responsibility Local authorities and schools keen to walk the talk of recycling. This datafile considers the issue of the recycled content in construction projects, how it is measured and how it can be increased with minimum effort, and without increasing risk or cost of materials. A case study project the York Building, a British Land development currently under construction analysed by Cyril Sweett provides a practical example of the application of these principles (see page 73).
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Building 31 March 2006
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Disposal to landfill
Standard practice is defined as what is most commonly available, such as the most likely material to be used if no request is made for recycled content. Good practice is defined as a level of recycled content which is better than standard and readily available with little or no additional effort at competitive cost. Best available is defined as the highest recycled content currently available on the UK market.
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Sustainability 73
The imposing main entrance to the York Building on Seymour Street Building 31 March 2006
Shell
Glazing/louvres Reconstituted stone columns/cornices Facaderoof connection
Finishes
Offices: Raised flooring/carpets; false ceiling; partitions; core finishes Residential: Flooring; ceiling; partitions; core finishes Roof finishes
The figure below shows those elements in the York Building specification that have the highest recycled content by value. Many of these elements have the potential to achieve a higher percentage of recycled content through substitution of products that have above-standard recycled content.
Baseline recycled content of the building An assessment of recycled content in the materials specified for the building gives a baseline recycled content level of 20.84%, the structural elements being the largest contributor to this result.
74 Sustainability
Building 31 March 2006
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The recycled content in the building could have been increased through various product substitutions, with a further 3.6% recycled content potentially achievable without incurring a cost premium. The figure on the right shows those building components that have the greatest potential to increase the overall recycled content of a building by the use of cost-neutral products meeting a good-practice specification.
Additional recycled value for best Additional recycled value for good
concrete and there is little opportunity to obtain higher levels of recycled content in the current market. The only product substitution that would significantly impact the buildings recycled content is the pre-cast concrete paviors on the roof. Paviors can be obtained with 70% recycled content, while standard products for this specification might have no recycled content. The overall increase that can be achieved in the shell elements contributes an extra 0.65% towards the building total.
Options for increasing recycled content in the shell elements York building Higher recycled content products
Specification Recycled % Increase content Impact Aluminium has a different colour and more difficult installation A negligible additional cost might be incurred EPS is expected to have similar performance to XPS
Element
Cost difference
Roof paviors
0%
70%
0.4%
0%
20%
0.1%
Use of cement replacements is usually cost neutral or 52% cheaper than 100% Portland Cement 37% concretes. However, in very high 70% GGBS concentrations there 36% can be a small cost premium 0.45% 48%
0.65%
Shell The opportunities to increase recycled content in the shell elements of the York Building are more constrained. This is because large parts of the cladding and roofing systems are made from either metal or pre-cast
Internal finishes Increases in the recycled content in internal finishing elements can be achieved through product substitution and alternative specifications. Different specifications are available for suspended ceilings and raised flooring, while higher recycled content products can be found for floor carpets and plasterboard. While slight changes in performance and cost may be encountered for high recycled content suspended ceilings and raised flooring (due to a change of material), floor carpets and plasterboard with higher recycled content should have the same performance and cost.
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Sustainability 75
Building 31 March 2006
The recycled content of the whole building can be increased by up to 4.35% using products and specifications with higher recycled content. This can be achieved at a negligible additional cost with the least impact on building performance. An additional 0.45% can be achieved by using a high percentage of cement replacements although this might lead to delays in the concrete strengthening time for the building frame.
Slight variation in thermal and acoustic performance Similar to other systems but heavier
95%
1.4%
Floor Carpets
0%
86%
1.1%
Carpets with high recycled content maintain same properties High recycled content plasterboard maintains same properties
36%
84%
0.6%
3.7%
Detailed design
Buildings extensive database of cost models, whole-life costings, lead times, market analyses and a host of other information is an essential resource for anyone in the business of procuring buildings. Gain instant access to this valuable data at www.building.co.uk/datatoolkit