Recover and Reuse: BRING CMRR Case Study on the UO Walton Dormitory Complex
Last summer, thanks to the Construction Material Recovery and Reuse (CMRR) Program, run by local non-profit BRING in partnership with the city of Eugene and Lane County, many materials were salvaged during the demolition of the Walton Dormitory Complex at the University of Oregon. The rebuilding of the Walton Complex is part of Phase 2 of the Hamilton-Walton Transformation project. The recovery effort was tricky because the dormitory, completed in 1959, was built using asbestos. For three weeks, which included time before and during the demolition and asbestos abatement, the CMRR Program targeted wood materials that had not been contaminated, including solid wood bunks, bookshelves, and cabinets found in each residence unit.
The CMRR Program recently produced a case study of the recovery effort at the UO Walton Dormitory Complex. The study found that CMRR was able to deconstruct, remove, and recover more than 14 tons of dimensional lumber, including 400 plywood sheets, 700 2x4 cross beams, and 500 4x4 bed posts. CMRR also recovered 1.25 tons of metal, mostly from outdoor benches, towel racks, and bike racks.
Instead of heading to the landfill or being recycled, these materials were able to be reused. Using the City of Portland’s Life Cycle Analysis Impact Data for Deconstruction tool, CMRR calculated the substantial amount of CO2e (carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases) emissions—an estimated 25,015.739 kg—that were prevented as a result of the recovery and reuse of materials. When this amount was then compared to the C02e emissions that would have been prevented as a result of recycling only, they found that conventional recycling is only 37.896% as efficient as material recovery and reuse.
The UO Housing Department and the Office of Sustainability at the University of Oregon continue to work with BRING on campus construction projects. CMRR will be involved in Phase 3 of the Hamilton-Walton Transformation, which includes the demolition of the Hamilton Complex in the summer of 2023.