We have a project on a large campus which has involved demolition of over a dozen buildings. There has been a strong focus on waste diversion which has allowed us to achieve just over 95% thus far. One of the smaller remaining structures has gained the interest of local fire departments which have requested the opportunity to use it as for a training burn. They would ignite the building on site and use it for a day-long series of practice exercises. Presumably little but ash and foundation would be left at the end of the day.
Has anyone encountered this situation in a LEED project before? Do we count this as diverted because the structure is slated for demolition and doesn't end up in a landfill? Entirely exclude it from the calculation on the basis that it isn't construction waste if used for a different purpose prior to demolition?
RETIRED
LEEDuser Expert
623 thumbs up
October 20, 2014 - 11:51 am
Brian - Sorry for my tardy reply. I was away from all communications while on vacation.
I don't have experience with this situation and it doesn't seem like anyone else has as no one has chimed in yet. Based on what you've shared, totally excluding it does not seem right because there will be waste after the burn that your project will need to remove in order to complete your project. I would include the remaining materials after the burn as either diverted or landfilled waste - depending on their disposal.
Brian Leet
Freeman French FreemanOctober 20, 2014 - 12:02 pm
Michelle,
Thank you for the reply. The owner decided that coordinating a fire training exercise with an active construction site was not feasible. So, I won't be able to fill folks in on the intricacies of this situation. It's an interesting one, and I agree with your assessment.
Brian