In 2009 the New York City Parks Department began replacing sections of the famous Coney Island Boardwalk, built in 1923, with synthetic decking materials and concrete. The old wood, which is a dark ipe from the now-endangered Brazilian rain forests, ended up in dumpsters and salvage yards. However much of the wood was rescued (sometimes it was literally pulled from dumpsters) and reused by individuals who recognized its value. In some cases, the individuals who rescued the wood spent their own time and money carefully removing old nails and patching up pieces before installing it in their homes or businesses. Other remnants ended up with salvage companies who cleaned, repaired, and milled the wood before selling it to enthusiasts.

In Philadelphia, an architectural salvage company called Provenance Architecturals procured some 40,000 board feet of the boardwalk ipe. Around the same time, the architects of a new art museum for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA), were researching sustainable wood flooring options. TWBTA’s research led them to Provenance Architecturals and the reclaimed boardwalk ipe was ultimately incorporated into the design of the museum. The material was carefully re-milled and installed in the museum’s entry space.

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects are well known for their particularity when it comes to the materials they use in their buildings and for how these materials inform their designs. In the case of the Barnes Foundation, the reclaimed boardwalk ipe contributes both to the rich interior atmosphere of the building as well as its LEED Platinum rating. It is also a living part of the public’s experience of the building. Museum officials regularly talk to visitors about the unique history of the floor on which they are standing.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Year completed: 2012
Architect: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Client: Barnes Foundation

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New York Times Article

The Port Moody Sail & Paddle Center is a local boating center with a large multi-use space for the community. The City of Port Moody wanted the new building to express the heritage of the area, so the decision was made early in the design process to use a heavy timber structure that was being deconstructed at the nearby Flavelle Cedar Mill. The design team knew that, once deconstructed, the timber structure would need repair and strengthening to bring it up to current code requirements. Their solution was to use wood salvaged from the same building for repairs and steel plates for the strengthening. What the team did not find out until the structure was fully deconstructed and their design was well under way, however, was that the roof trusses were eight feet longer than expected.  Because the program and budget were relatively fixed, the design team had to make some clever choices in order to fit the roof trusses into the design of the new building. The additional length of the trusses was used to create an overhang on the exterior of the building. The end product showcases the exposed historic timber structure so seamlessly that one would never guess the surprise that confronted the design team.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location: Port Moody, BC
Year completed: 2011
Architect: Robert Burgers Architect
Client: City of Port Moody

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Old to New Design Guide – Case Study

GBA chose to renovate a space within a 1906 brick industrial building. In reconfiguring the space to suit their needs, GBA made efforts to save as much of the original material as possible. For instance, original brick walls were either left standing or deconstructed and reassembled in a new layout to reorganize the main office space as well as create a new conference room. Similarly, the original leaded glass windows were preserved. This onsite material reuse was complemented with several offsite sources including locally salvaged wood flooring and reclaimed furniture. The savings achieved through material reuse was then invested in energy efficient systems and appliances. Through reuse, the GBA was able to maximize their budget to achieve a new, LEED Platinum home they can be proud of and point to as a demonstration project.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Concrete/Masonry, Furnishings, Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Year completed: 2008
Architect: Landmark Design Associates
Client: Green Building Alliance
Contractor: Jendoco Construction Company

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Green Building Alliance Office Press Release

Photo: Jamie Myers Forsythe

p:ear (program: education, art, and recreation) began over ten years ago to provide meals, job training and safe space to homeless youths in Portland, OR. Their location in downtown Portland is the central hub of the organization’s services and is a significant “home base” for their clients. As such, it was designed to reflect the organization’s spirit of inclusion and empowerment.

The decision to incorporate reclaimed materials in the design was made in part because of budget constraints, but also because of a desire to create a space that is comfortable and relatable for p:ear’s clients. According to the architect, reclaimed materials contributed to, “a really cool, funky personality,” at p:ear. These reclaimed materials include glass doors and windows that helped to create an open and welcoming environment, with plenty of room for communal meals or fundraising events. The reclaimed materials also convey a subtle but powerful message of transformation and rebirth which mirrors the group’s mission to reveal their kids’ self-worth and empower them to transform their lives to exit homelessness.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Doors and Windows, Furniture

Key Info
Location: Portland, OR
Year completed: 2009
Architect: SERA
Client: p:ear
Contractor: Fortis Construction

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Case Study by Public Architecture

As part of Starbucks Coffee Company’s 2008 unveiling of their Shared Planet commitment to “ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement,” was a new approach to their store designs with the intention of creating a local, community-centered feel. The remodeled University Village store in Seattle was an opportunity to unveil this new approach. As one of three prototypes, it relies heavily on material reuse.

Most of the reclaimed materials in the University Village store were sourced nearby, such as wood from a local school’s old bleachers and a table made from an ash tree that fell nearby. These materials demonstrate an unspoken awareness and create a physical link to the neighborhood, while also creating funky, comfortable atmosphere. Other reclaimed materials reference the coffee company’s tools of the trade and its heritage as a small local coffee shop, like metal panels from old espresso machines and burlap coffee sacks that are used as a wall covering. Metal icons throughout the store identify the reclaimed materials and their origins. The careful and deliberate attention to the reclaimed materials’ origins subtly reinforces the Starbuck’s Shared Planet ideals by creating a connection to the store’s surroundings, to the company’s origins as a neighborhood company, and to the ethical sourcing of the coffee they serve.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Furnishings, Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location: University Village, Seattle, WA
Year completed: 2009
Architect: Starbucks Coffee Company
Client: Starbucks Coffee Company

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Starbucks Blog Post

Photo via inhabitat.com

International advertising agency Digitas was looking for a workplace which would encourage creativity and out-of-the box thinking in order to create work which would set them apart.  When they asked Torchia to design their new offices on the 11th floor of a non-descript downtown Chicago building, they were looking for a design which would blur the boundaries between work and play to reach this goal.  The architects responded to the challenge by developing an urban industrial aesthetic, based on reclaimed materials, to create what Digitas would call a “Digital Warehouse of Ideas.”  A shipping container was fashioned into a working kitchen with a glass-top assembly line counter.  Wooden pallets were used to create semi-opaque partitions and sculptural dividers and old barnwood from local structures was milled into furniture and casework.  Graffiti-inspired wall art and sleek office furniture add depth to the aesthetic by bringing in a technological edge and free-form counterpoint.  By incorporating reclaimed materials into a nondescript modern space, Torchia was able to create an environment that seems to have developed spontaneously and over time and which itself becomes a source of inspiration and a platform for creativity.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Furnishings, Metals, Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location:
Chicago, IL
Year completed: 2011
Architect: Torchia
Client: Digitas

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Inhabitat.com Article

The twin goals of sustainability and the creation of an established local presence guided the design of this store. Located in a building that once housed an ice skate store and later a jewelry manufacturing company, the designers uncovered and renovated the original brick and cast iron walls, as well as used salvaged wood from regional sources like Pennsylvania barns and Vermont snow fences to create a rugged and weathered setting. They also built shelving from reclaimed wood and incorporated salvaged furniture into the displays to reference both the building’s history as well as the architectural history of the neighborhood. Small tags hang from the materials to identify which are salvaged, recycled, or sustainable and tell their respective stories. In addition, the design team installed energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems, and specified FSC-Certified wood and recycled flooring materials to minimize the carbon footprint of the store in order to reach net-zero energy.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Wood/Lumber, Furnishings

Key Info
Location: New York City, New York
Year completed: 2009
Architect: L.O.D.A., Inc. & Sargenti Architects
Client: The Timberland Company
Contractor: Rectenwald Brothers Construction, Inc.

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VMSD Case Study

photo by Lara Swimmer via metropolismag.com

IslandWood, which bills itself as “a school in the woods,” is a 255 acre campus with 15 buildings and 14 outdoor features that provide an educational experience in nature and lessons in environmental stewardship to inner-city children. The designers from Mithun planned the entire campus to promote inquisitiveness and exploration in a setting where every element generates questions and conversations around how we live and how our buildings work within the natural environment. From the Living Machine that purifies greywater to the massive stone fireplaces built from different types of rocks found on the site, the buildings themselves create an experiential education in a range of topics from environmental sciences and technology to art and design.

A commitment to achieving LEED certification helped guide the project and inspired the reuse of different wood elements found in the local area. Salvaged wood from the site was reclaimed and re-milled to become flooring and finish carpentry in many of the buildings and a massive 97 foot-long beam from a Montana mine was installed at the entry to inspire awe and introduce visitors to the unique and inspiring educational endeavor created at IslandWood.

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Wood/Lumber

Key Info
Location: Bainbridge Island, WA
Year completed: 2002
Architect: Mithun
Client: IslandWood
Contractor: Rafn Company

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Metropolis Magazine Article

With good friends and project co-lead, CMG Landscape Architecture, Public was delighted to receive word earlier this week that our team has advanced to the third and final stage of the ‘Design Waller Creek’ competition in Austin, Texas. We will now be competing against the three other finalist teams: Michael Van Valkenberg Associates, Inc. and Thomas Phifer & Partners; Turenscape and Lake|Flato, Architects; as well as Workshop: Ken Smith Landscape Architect, Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, and Rogers Marvel Architects.

The site is the lower 1.5 miles of Waller Creek, which meanders through downtown Austin and touches a diverse array of neighborhoods as well as social, cultural, and economic conditions. There are many fascinating challenges as well as enormous potentials associated with the site. For instance, the creek runs along a major dividing line in the City, between Central and East Austin, and it is in an area that is currently undervalued. The revitalization of Waller Creek offers an opportunity to stitch together fragmented portions of the city in a way that strengthens the adjacent neighborhoods as well as the larger City of Austin.

Public Architecture will lead the Culture & Community component of our project team’s approach. For the third stage of competition, we are very excited to spend the coming months developing a design concept with our talented team of collaborators! Our team includes the following organizations and individuals:

Biohabitats
ARUP
Urban Design Group
Hicks and Company
Scott and Lauren Ogden
Enotech Engineering
Kimley-Horn
Dan Cheetham
Community Land Use and Economics Group
ETM Associates
Capitol Market Research
Art Alliance Austin
Cheryl Haines and For-Site
Austin Community Design and Development Center
Media and Place
Pentagram

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus in Golden, Colorado had an ambitious goal to make their entire campus net-zero energy and to promote the use of the renewable energy resources they study. Their latest building, the 211,391 square foot Research Support Laboratory, makes great strides in this mission. It is completely net-zero, meaning it produces as much energy as it uses every year through its photovoltaic and thermal energy systems. In addition to this operational energy efficiency, the building serves as an example of what can be done
without relying on virgin construction materials. Reclaimed concrete from demolished local airport runways was used as aggregate in foundations and slabs throughout the project, and granite tiles made from manufacturing scraps were used for flooring. Most impressively, the main structural system of the building is composed entirely of salvaged steel pipes from the natural gas industry. A salvage company that stockpiles these cast-offs pipes made it possible for the design-build team to access this unusual but abundant resource. The pipes were left exposed on the building’s interior, in order to allow the story of reuse to be shared with others. A preliminary lifecycle analysis estimates that the use of salvaged steel instead of typical steel flange columns reduced CO2 emissions by 69% and total embodied energy by 68%!

Reclaimed Materials (by application): Metals, Concrete/Masonry

Key Info
Location: Golden, CO
Year completed: 2010
Architect: RNL
Client: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Contractor: Haselden Construction
Structural Engineer: KL&A Structural Engineers

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NREL Project Page