Cockcroft Building Refurbishment - Case Study Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tutor :xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Title : Cockcroft Building Refurbishment Institution : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date :xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx @ 2011 Cockcroft Building Refurbishment Introduction In the UK the construction sector produces more waste compared to any other sector of the economy. It also generates the highest amount of hazardous wastes. This has impacts on the environment and society in different significant ways. With the increase of waste disposal costs it is wise to work on the maximization of the waste efficiency by waste producers. Demolition, construction and refurbishment and processes for supply of materials produce a considerable amount of waste. According to the UK government the wastes are about 70 million tones. The construction industry produces about 17% of all the wastes in the United Kingdom. The amount of wastes produced from refurbishment is not known. However there are many opportunities offered through refurbishment for recycling, reuse and use of recycled materials (Skoyles 1987).Demolitions produce a lot of unnecessary waste which are not reused. In some waste minimization initiatives site managers are offered deals by firms to combine architectural salvage with demolition. The salvage is then used to pay for demolition. Building and construction wastes come from the building materials used to construct a building. They are produced through processes of construction, demolition and refurbishment and renovation. Waste can be defined as "any substance or object that you discard, intend to discard, or are required to discard is waste and as such is subject to a number of regulatory requirements." This is inclusive of material which are taken for in house treatment or recycling. They are still regarded as waste. Construction wastes are composed of rejected material which is a result of direct production or by industries and constructions in an incidental manner Abiel Cartz (2000). Among construction wastes there are nails, electrical wiring, insulation and rebar. Other wastes come from the preparation of the site like dredging materials, rubble and tree stumps. The wastes may have asbestos, lead among other hazardous material. A bigger portion of wastes comes from building materials like concrete, bricks and wood which has been damaged or cannot be used for one reason or another in the process of construction(Skoyles 1987).Studies have revealed that this portion may come to between 10% and 15% of the total volume of materials used to make a building. There is normally a huge variation in construction sites. This makes it possible to create opportunities of waste reduction. Wastes on Cockcroft building There are various types wastes that can be found on the site. Among them are materials with asbestos, recoverable materials, hazardous materials and clean fill. For each of the categories of wastes the methods of management are different. Clean fill is composed of soil which is not contaminated, gravel, rock, wood, asphaltic, concrete, metal, wood, plaster board, metal, gypsum, plastic, blocks and non reactive solids. Sheet rock, roofing shingles, wood waste and other wastes from demolition or construction are not classified as clean fill. Bricks, concrete, cinder blocks and other materials from clean fill without heavy metal painting fall in the category of clean fill Marker Newton (2006). Recoverable materials can be removed so that they can be reused or recycled to form new products. They include windows, doors, bricks, lumber, glass, ceramic tile and cinder blocks. Wastes that can be recycled from the site include asphalt shingles, glass, concrete, lumbar, electrical wire and sheet rock. Recovered wastes are supposed to be used in one way or the other. It normally proves very expensive and unnecessary to set aside materials for recycling when there is no market for the products that come out of them Edward G. Nawy (2008). It is even expensive to try to store the materials recovered indoors. Outdoor storage however can make them to lose their value because weather elements can easily deteriorate or degrade them. Storage of wastes matters a lot. Poor storage may make the wastes to harbor rodents, become a breeding place for insects and other animals or present a threat of being a fire hazard. Materials to be recycled are not supposed to be assembled and dumped somewhere on the ground as they a wait the market. It is advisable to have waste materials sorted out on the site before they are removed or transported for recycling or reuse. Transportation or hauling of materials which are not sorted is not an advisable thing to do Abiel Cartz (2000). Regulated wastes from demolitions, repair or construction are those which are not needed for recycling, clean fill or reuse. They must be disposed off at a transfer station of landfill. Such wastes are not supposed to be burned or buried unless if this is done at a landfill with permission. Even if a land owner gave the permission these wastes should not be buried or dumped on any private or public property. Another category of wastes are those called hazardous Marker Newton (2006) There are a number of hazardous materials found on buildings. However the most important are asbestos lead based paints. Heavy metals like chromium and cadmium are also categorized as hazardous wastes. Incase painted materials have heavy metals or lead then a determination exercise for hazardous wastes needs to be carried out prior to disposal. If the waste paint is proved to be hazardous then it needs to be treated as hazardous material. If the paint has no hazardous elements then it can be dumped in a sanitary landfill. Before any activity such as repair or demolition is done on any building it should be determined if there are asbestos materials on the building Abiel Cartz (2000). Recycling and reusing wastes helps to conserve space used for landfills, creates jobs, and lowers the environmental effect of production of new materials. It also lowers the expenses use don the building project by getting rid of disposal or purchase costs. It is more beneficial to prevent wastes than to recycle them. Roll off containers can be used in transportation of wastes. Rubble should be crushed then used for construction. Waste wood should be recovered then recycled Abiel Cartz (2000). Potential waste should be identified early enough when designing is still in process. This will eventually reduce the amount of wastes generated. Building materials should be standardized and cut into the proper sizes before use. Spaces should also be designed in a flexible ways so that they can be adaptable to different changes in use Amarjit Singh (2001). In order to arrive at the best way for the management of wastes from a building the values of various materials must be considered. Some materials may posses a higher value for salvage than the value they have for recycling. Some materials may need to be used again on the building. The rest can be given out as a donation or sold to charitable organizations or to dealers who buy used building materials. Some times materials that have been reused can be come a source of aesthetic or functional features which cannot be found in new materials Marker Newton (2006). Salvage wood for example can be found in many species and high quality not easily found on the market. In the case of a demolition two ways can be employed in the recovery of materials for reuse and salvage. Before the demolition selective salvage should be done. Deconstruction can be done by carefully dismantling the building in the reverse to assembly by hand in order to get materials for reuse. Government and local authorities have regulations on the amount of waste which can be sorted before it is taken to waste treatment facilities or land fills. Hazardous materials may not be taken out before the permission of the authorities to confirm that restrictions and safety guidelines have been adhered to. They may be concerned with the right disposal and handling of toxic such as asbestos, lead or radioactive materials Abiel Cartz (2000). Waste management strategy The refurbishment of Cockcroft building is bound to produce a variety of wastes whose proper disposal will be a requirement in order to ensure proper environmental conservation. The proper disposal and management of this wastes will help to reduce the amount of money spend on dumping. The best methods of management for most of these wastes will be the ‘3R’ strategy. This strategy includes reducing, recycling and reusing. The first ‘R’ stands for reducing. In reduction the amount of materials prepared for use on the building will be reduced to what is exactly enough. Preparing enough materials without excess will help to reduce wastage of these materials. Less costs will therefore incurred on the purchase of materials and disposal of the wastes. In this plan only very little unavoidable wastes are created Parker, C.L et al (1977). The second ‘R’ represents recycling in which the wastes reduced are used to make new products which are in turn used for construction or sold out. Waste materials should be collected and taken to people who can creatively transform them into finished products. This is another way of reducing the amount of wastes to de disposed off either in landfills or other disposal sites. Many of the wastes produced on the site like wood, metal, plastics and glass are recyclable. Although recycled materials may be of lower quality they can be as useful as the original products. They can also be relatively cheap as compared to the other materials Abiel Cartz (2000). The final ‘R’ in the waste management strategy represents re-use. Re-using means that the waste materials are sorted out to separate those which are totally out of shape from the rest. Those which can be put to another use are taken back to the building and put to work. Timber which is classified as waste can easily be put to another use on a building to avoid wastage. Other things like metal bars and pipes can also be reused. Proper management of wastes from refurbishment or demolition activities helps to save the environment from pollution. For example when wood and timber are used sparingly then the number of trees to be felled goes down considerably. Proper waste disposal helps to conserve the aesthetic value of the land Marker Newton (2006). Cockcroft Building Lifts Any storey building must have lifts and elevators to enable people to access the higher floor without difficulty. Renovation and refurbishment of the lifts on Cockcroft building will definitely produce a variety of waste types. Among the possible wastes to be found are metal bars, cables, concrete dust and debris among other things. The location of the lifts should be done with reference to the plans of the architecture if available. The layout dimensions must be checked against the requirements of the plan of the floor to ensure that there is enough space. This should be done prior to installation activities. Overhead obstructions must not be there. Such obstructions include heaters, electrical lines and building supports Edward G. Nawy (2008) Installation of lifts in the building will demand that inspections be done to ensure that all the defective parts in the concrete are done. Lifts cannot be installed or fixed in buildings with cracked or concrete floors and walls with defects. This is bound to compromise the safety of the occupants of the building. Refurbishment activities may soon discover that some concrete areas are defective Amarjit Singh (2001). The installation of lifts should be done on level floors. Is the slope of the floor is questionable; the remedy is to poor a new level slab of concrete. A level floor is advisable for proper installation and lifting in order to avoid problems in the functioning of the lifts. Installation of lifts in Cockcroft building is bound to produce a considerable amount of concrete wastes depending on the amount of work that will be done Edward G. Nawy (2008) Concrete waste management Concrete wastes resulting from lift installation may come through two ways. Wastes can be produced from fresh mixed concrete that is not use or dry concrete debris and dust coming from the broken parts of the building. Slurries having concrete with Portland cement are produced from saw cutting, grooving, grinding and coring Amarjit Singh (2001).Pollutants from the concrete wastes should be prevented from getting into storm water. To do this a wash out off site should be conducted. An onsite wash out can also be done in designated areas. In addition subcontractors and employees will need to be trained on how to handle the wastes to avoid contamination of the surroundings Edward G. Nawy (2008). In order to reduce the pollution of storm water by wastes coming from the concrete debris the concrete management strategy will have to be discussed with the supplier of the readily mixed concrete before delivery. The requirements for the management of concrete waste will then have to be incorporated into the agreements of the suppliers of the material and the subcontractor Edward G. Nawy (2008). Both dry and wet concrete waste materials must be stored under cover. This should not be close to nay drainage area. Excess quantities of fresh concrete should not be mixed. Just enough quantities must be prepared to avoid the production of more wastes. Excess concrete must never be dumped on the site. However this can be done if there is a designated area meant for that purpose. If washout is to be done on the site then the place for this should be away from open ditches, storm drains and water bodies Parker, C.L et al (1977). Run off from this place should be avoided by creation of a bermed area or pit temporarily for the solid and liquid wastes. “Wastes should be washed out into the temporary pit in which the concrete can set be broken up and then be disposed properly.” Run off should be avoided through drainage of water to level areas or bermed areas in the process of washing concrete to separate the aggregate from the fine dust. Sweepings from aggregate concrete must not be washed into storm drains or streets. These sweepings should be collected and returned to aggregate base stockpile or disposed in trash.’ Edward G. Nawy (2008).All the subcontractors, suppliers and employees will have to be educated about the concrete waste management methods outlined in this report. Concrete waste management methods and procedures should be overseen and enforced by the contractor’s representative or superintendent Marker Newton (2006) Concrete Slurry Wastes disposal Portland cement concrete is no supposed to be released into water channels or storm drains. Instead they need to be collected and dumped into a wash out facility. A sign has to be placed near the concrete wash out facility to direct people dealing with concrete to uses it. A construction supervisor or foreman will need to oversee concrete working tasks performed onsite like coring, saw cutting, grooving and grinding to confirm that proper procedures have been followed. Portland cement concrete slurry from saw cutting must be prevented from accessing water courses or storm drains. “Residue from grinding operations should be picked up by means of a vacuum attachment to the grinding machine.” Slurry residue need s to be vacuumed then dumped in a pit temporarily. Residue from saw cutting activities must not be abandoned on the pavement surface Parker, C.L et al (1977) Recycling concrete wastes The refurbishment of cockcroft building lifts will definitely produce debris, dust and rubble. These wastes will be utilized through recycling. Formerly the waste concrete was send to land fills. Today recycling is being embraced in order to gain the numerous benefits associated with it. It helps to reduce construction costs and spares harm to the environment. The concrete aggregate gathered from the site is taken to a crushing machine. It should not be contaminated with paper, trash wood or any other material. Abiel Cartz (2000). Metals like rebar can be allowed in because they are removed by use of magnets or any other sorting equipment and melted for recycling somewhere else. The remaining wastes can be sorted according to their sizes. Bigger chunks can be taken through the crusher once more. After crushing has been done, filtering will also be done to get rid of the other particles. This is done through water floatation or hand picking. Crushing on the site will help to reduce pollution and the costs of construction. Marker Newton (2006) Small pieces of concrete which has gone through recycling procedures can be used in place of gravel for new constructions. Bigger pieces from crushed concrete are good for the control of erosion. “Crushed recycled concrete can also be used as the dry aggregate for brand new concrete if it is free of contaminants.” If crushing is performed with the right quality control the properly graded materials can utilized for landscaping as stone or mulch. Recycling of concrete can be advantageous as opposed to putting it in a land fill or dump site. Avoiding the use of landfills saves that space. Recycling and re-using material in place of gravel lowers the possibility of gravel mining Parker, C.L (1977). Improvements for Best practice in U.K In the United Kingdom there various transport, management, disposal and treatment regulations on waste disposal. Among them are construction, refurbishment and demolition wastes which are utilized in constructions as well as those used in aggregate production. According to the U.K regulations the all the people involved in management of wastes are responsible for those wastes. This includes the parties involved in the production of wastes to those doing the disposal Parker, C.L et al (1977). The best laws and regulations need to be enacted and enforced in order to protect the environment. Inappropriate waste management practices are known to impact negatively on the surrounding leading to its destruction. The U.K has many regulations governing waste disposal. They adequately address all the areas concerned especially the wastes resulting from constructions, demolition and refurbishment. Edward G. Nawy (2008). Best practice in waste management requires that the level of waste production be reduced considerably. This reduces the stress placed on disposal and waste management facilities. In order to maximize the effectiveness and approach the plan for waste management in construction and demolition should be initiated at a very early stage. The planner or designer of a project should be the one to adopt the waste management strategy early enough for it to be included into the formal plan. The plan for waste management in the refurbishment of Cockcroft building should be written in detail depending on the size of the project to be undertaken. It must have details concerning the construction hours, routes of transport and all the other issues touching those affected by the project Marker Newton (2006). Clients are very important since they can help determine the conditions under which projects are done. They can request the application of criteria that is environment friendly. Through that they make stakeholders adhere to the waste management principles of best practice which require that wastes be reduced or prevented, reused or recycled. In the initial planning stages of a project attention must be paid to the implementation of a waste management strategy Parker, C.L et al (1977). These should be able to shift the objectives from the use of a land fill for waste disposal to prevention, reuse and recycling of wastes. Best practice should always follow a specific hierarchy which has minimization and prevention of wastes as first priority followed by reuse then recycling. During reconstruction processes there are many materials that can be reused or recycled. This best practice method reduces the amount of wastes that need to be taken to landfills Edward G. Nawy (2008). Waste prevention The basic effort must be to practice prevention of wastes and to reduce the quantity of wastes being produced. The costs of purchasing building materials are significantly reduced. In order to effectively prevent wastes materials must be ordered only if they are needed and in the right amounts. Materials like coverings should be purchased in the required shapes to avoid production of too much scrap at the construction site. Construction materials should be properly stored and handled to reduced damage which can render them as waste. For example delivered materials must remain packed until the day they will be used Marker Newton (2006).Individual responsibility should be assigned to subcontractors through proper contractual arrangements for the buying of raw materials. They should also be responsible for waste management in their respective places of work. This will ensure that resources are not used in extravagant ways to be paid by the main contractor. Renovation where only new or necessary items are introduced on the building highly reduces the amount of wastes produced. Demolition is only allowed in exceptional cases when it comes to protected structures. Prevention strategies should be employed every where in the United Kingdom in order to enhance environmental conservation Abiel Cartz (2000). Reuse of materials Reuse or salvaging of materials generated on the site is highly encouraged. Disposal should come as the last thing to be done when other strategies have been used. There should be initiatives made early enough to optimize the proper use and reuse of materials. Excavated soils are useful when applied as landscaping material on the site when the project is complete. Initiatives should be investigated so that where necessary the disposal of materials is avoided. Architectural features can be utilized in refurbishment of remaining structures on the site. Warehousing of materials that have been salvaged may facilitate the reuse of the same material on projects in future. Sale of architectural salvages may encourage the public to get materials that are coming from building that have been decommissioned. Edward G. Nawy (2008). Recycling Markets for demolition and construction wastes exist where materials can be sold. Waste timber may be recycled as hoarding or shuttering. It can also be taken for reprocessing to make fiber board of medium density. “Reduction of wastes, ‘reuse and recycling’ can be managed in the best way by appointing a construction and demolitions waste manager to take care of all waste management at various stages of the project.” The position of manager can be held by different people through the project’s lifecycle Marker Newton (2006). Conclusion Waste management is an important aspect of construction and demolition activities because of various benefits. Wastes coming from refurbishment include metals, timber and plastics among others. All of these can be prevented, reused or recycled in order to conserve the environment and reduce costs that can be incurred in the purchase of new materials. Recycling of wastes is important to avoid depending on limited natural resources like energy and geological reserves. Prevention is the best method of waste management. Cockcroft building refurbishment being a storey building like any other renovation has the installation of lifts Parker, C.L et al (1977)This installation and refurbishment process is bound to produce concrete wastes among other common waste materials like timber and metals. Concrete can be dry dust and debris or freshly mixed but left as surplus. Concrete wastes should be managed well to avoid contamination of water bodies. Onsite washout can be used and the runoff channeled into a temporary pit. This exercise should be carried out away from water channels or ways used by storm water. Best practice waste management techniques like prevention, reuse and recycling should be used in the United Kingdom to avoid wastage. This is the most effective strategy in Construction and demolition waste management. Edward G. Nawy (2008). Recommendations The cockcroft building refurbishment task force should appoint a manger whose responsibility will be to enforce the waste management practices on the site.The contractor on the building should ensure that waste management strategies are incorporated into the plans of the refurbishment process early enough. Before the project is started the contractor and his team must ensure that their employees are trained on waste management tactics while on site Marker Newton (2006).Waste management regulations and initiatives in the UK can be many. However implementation and enforcement is the major challenge. The relevant government authorities should take up the task of proper enforcement to ensure the conservation of the environment. References Parker, C.L. and Slimak, M.W. Waste Treatment and Disposal Costs for the Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry The American Concrete Institute, July 1977, 74 (7) pp. 281-287. Skoyles ER,. Skoyles JR. (1987) Waste Prevention on Site; Mitchell Publishing, London Marker Newton (2006); Demolition and construction; waste management strategies; Mitchell publishing, London Edward G. Nawy (2008) Concrete construction engineering handbook Oxford University Press Amarjit S(2001) Creative systems in structural and construction engineering: Emerald Publishing House, New York. Abiel C (2000) Waste management and Environmental conservation, Demolition wastes and disposal mechanisms, Amazon publishers Read More