It is hard to trash talk the recycling project at Ohio State’s Cunz Hall.
More than 300 tons, or 94 percent, of the metal, wood and gypsum from the demolition were recycled, according to a data sheet about the building’s renovation.
Cunz Hall’s demolition began in early November 2009.
“Basically, everything that could be reused for the next part of the project was saved,” said Adam Drexel, senior project manager for Ruscilli Construction Co., Inc. “Everything that could be was recycled to some degree.”
The wood from the old doors was recycled, and OSU saved the doors’ locks for future use.
The trash bins on the Cunz Hall site did not automatically go to the dump, instead employees from Micro Construction of Baltimore, Ohio picked up the bins whenever they were full, Drexel said.
The company decided what was reusable and what was trash, then took the recyclables to its own recycling center, Drexel added.
I.H. Schlezinger Inc. and Ace Iron and Metal Co., both of Columbus, were other recycling centers used for the project.
Once the metal, wood and gypsum were collected and taken to the recycling centers, it was sorted into piles.
Metal was melted down to be sold in bulk, wood was turned into mulch or composite wood, and gypsum was turned into dry wall, Drexel said.
However, not everything was recyclable. Nineteen tons, or 6 percent, of materials were sent to the dump.
Most of the items not recycled were dirt and things that had outlived their usefulness, Drexel said.
Sending materials to a recycling center is more expensive than sending them to a landfill because materials have to be sorted off site, Drexel said.
The construction companies get the money from the recycled materials. When bidding for the contract, the companies take this into consideration, and it helps determine how much OSU pays them, he said.
OSU hired Ruscilli Construction of Lancaster, Ohio, to oversee the construction.
All the demolition able to be done without hurting the building’s structural integrity has been done, Drexel said.
The next step is to begin heavy demolition to the outside of the building. Plans are to add two outside stairways to the building.
New offices, classrooms and laboratories are also part of the renovations. So are new plumbing and electrical and mechanical systems, according to the College of Public Health’s website.
Cunz Hall is completely gutted, said Renee Watts, facilities manager of the College of Public Health and blogger for the college’s website about the building’s progress.
All that remains are the walls, floors and support beams.
The building was severely out of fashion. It looked like a lot of buildings designed in the late 1960s, she said.
The $24.4 million construction project is intended to give it a face-lift and make it environmentally friendly.
OSU’s Board of Trustees officially named the building the Dieter Cunz Hall of Languages in April 1969. OSU finished the building and began using it in November 1969. Then, it was dedicated in January 1970, according to the OSU Knowledge Bank website.
OSU’s College of Foreign Languages moved to Hagerty Hall in 2005.
Construction is slated to end April 2011, and the building should be ready for use by Fall semester.
Environmental friendliness will not end when the project is completed.
The Cunz Hall Rain Garden, the Class of 2010’s gift, is an energy-efficient feature of the building. Redirected rainwater will be used to water the plants, according to the College of Public Health website.
OSU has made the decision to go green, whether it is constructing, renovating or demolishing a building, Watts said.
OSU has also adopted the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The program provides certificates to organizations showing dedication to protecting the environment, according to the U.S. Green Building Council website.
OSU officials decided Cunz Hall would be a building certified by the program. Other campus buildings, such as the new Student Academic Services Building, were also built to the program’s standards.
“Now, this is the first LEED-certified renovated building on campus,” Watts said.
Cunz Hall is located at 1841 Neil Ave. and is between the Psychology Building and McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. It will be home to the College of Public Health.
