Stardust, a Southeast Valley nonprofit headquartered at 1720 W. Broadway Road in Mesa, is partnering with several Valley companies to divert used building materials at construction sites from the landfill to repurpose and resell.
Stardust, the only building-material reuse nonprofit in metro Phoenix, has created “Starve the Landfill,” focused on sustainability in the construction industry. Starve the Landfill stresses the importance of deconstruction and donating building materials to be reused and repurposed.The goal is to create a strong community of eco-friendly contractors and suppliers that want to reduce their material waste.“One of the amazing benefits is that local companies will be acknowledged for their partnership and commitment to sustainability and the reuse of building materials,” said Karen Jayne, CEO of Stardust.
Source: Mesa nonprofit wants tons of improvement in construction- recycling effort | Life | eastvalleytribune.com
Photo by Darrell Jackson
Pictured is the interior of the Glendale location where Stardust Building Supplies offers a large assortment for sale to the public.
“Our deconstruction service is free and we have a list of questions that we ask to determine if the job is something we can do,” Fulton said. “Due to Environmental Protection Agency rules, we cannot do houses that were built before 1978 due to rules about asbestos and lead paint. A job supervisor will also do site searches to make sure the job is something we can do.”
Source: Stardust a landfill alternative — recycled building supplies – Glendalestar.com: News
Stepped up participation in the circular economy by working with entrepreneurs to convert solid waste items destined for landfills into new products.
Source: Phoenix sets ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goal | AZ Big Media
Postino is known for bruschetta and red wine. JIM POULIN/PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL
Business Insider gave a nod to Upward Projects’ well-known habit of adaptive reuse, describing how Postino was “built within a 1950s-era post office” and its “premiere wines and impeccable food made with local ingredients.”
Source: Business Insider: This restaurant is Arizona’s “top-rated bar” – Phoenix Business Journal
Salvaging old and left over building material is essential to green deconstruction. CREDIT JUSTIN REGAN
“It just doesn’t seem necessary to have new material, these work just as well as something new. I guess it just helps eliminate waste,” says Farber. Coconino County officials say green deconstruction has been on the rise the last several years, even though it’s tough and expensive to do. It’s a burgeoning faction of the nearly three billion dollar a year green building industry.
Source: Green Deconstruction on the Rise in NOAZ | KNAU Arizona Public Radio
The design and placement of the house optimizes forest views, a wrap around deck on the east and south sides that overlooks the greenway, and the cul-de-sac for safe and easy garage access. The vaulted ceilings in the living room make this house feel like a cabin while affording modern comfort.
This house is ENERGY STAR certified and is working towards receiving an award for the Coconino County Sustainability Program. What’s that mean? This home will cost ~30% less to operate, be more comfortable, more durable, healthier and safer for its owners and occupants, and all around better for the environment.
Use #CabinHaus to follow this project on Facebook.
via Cabin Haus – 2367 Chof Trail – Ezra Builders.
Ezra Builders is setting a new standard in Northern Arizona for sustainability through Passivhaus design. As a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), Tom has been trained by the certifying and training authority of the United States, the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). He has had a direct involvement in two of the completed passive house projects in the Portland, OR area. At the Karuna Passive House, he acted as one of the Quality Control personnel during the insulation phase. Spending more time in the field at the Pumpkin Ridge Passive House, he worked on the structural framing, air barrier install, door and window install. Through his exposure and experience he believes the passivhaus (passive house) standard is one of the few ways to truly build sustainably and is setting out to do just that.
via Passivhaus – Ezra Builders.
Hallelujah!
The city also reserved $100,000 in the 2013-2014 fiscal year to offer incentives to new owners. They can earn up to $4,500 for rebuilding structures built before 2000 that are no more than 25,000 square feet.
Projects have taken off as a result, Lanning said.
“It’s grown so much because people really love funky old buildings,” Lanning said.
In the project’s first year, nine city buildings were transformed into new businesses. In 2013, there were 48.
Among these was a 53,000-square-foot uptown motorcycle garage and dealership converted to a complex of restaurants.
Projects like these aren’t easy and can cost a lot of money, but they are worth it, Lanning said. Adaptive reuse encourages community involvement and keeps people civically engaged, she added.
“People feel connected to that place more than boring buildings that look the same,” Lanning said.
via Adaptive reuse sparing iconic buildings from wrecking ball – Cronkite News.
The Creative Center of Scottsdale is an adaptive reuse project of three existing buildings: a 4,000 square foot gun supply store transformed into a creative co-working space, a 2,000 square foot auto shop that is now an empty shell waiting for a tenant, and a 1,800 square foot knit shop that has been renovated as a coffee house.
via Old Gun Supply Store in Arizona Transformed Into Community-Friendly Creative Center of Scottsdale | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.
The Bragg’s Pie Factory building at Grand and 13th avenues was built in 1947. The historical site now houses artist studios and a vegan diner. The Republic
Upward Projects owns multiple adaptive-reuse restaurants in Phoenix, including Postino in central Phoenix and Arcadia, Federal Pizza on Central Avenue north of Camelback Road, and Windsor, also on Central Avenue.
Owner Lauren Bailey said the adaptive-reuse program in Phoenix has been amazing. She said the city understands the additional cost with adaptive reuse and works well with business owners to make the process easier.
For her, the projects are “like an addiction.”
She said she kept finding cool buildings and that drove her to come up with new restaurant ideas. She said the buildings have been “the primary driver of growth” for her company.
She said when doing adaptive-reuse projects “the surprises you find are both a curse and a blessing.”
via Phoenix helps breathe new life into old buildings.
The onetime Monroe Elementary School has been transformed into a reborn Children’s Museum. Nearby, along Grand Avenue, a surge of development is yielding new destinations out of long-forgotten structures, which are showcased on a self-guided, adaptive-reuse tour sponsored by the Grand Avenue Arts and Small Business District.
Adaptive reuse is also a way to save a unique or historic building that might otherwise be demolished. The practice benefits the environment by conserving natural resources and minimizing the need for new materials.
In Phoenix, city planners established a program in 2008 that encourages adaptive re-use of buildings that are structurally sound but no longer economically viable in their current condition.
via How to bring a new look to Valley communities: recycle historic structures | Wrangler News.
Reclamation Administration: News and Research on Building Material Waste Prevention
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