Building Green at DNR
General Executive Facility 2 (GEF2)
The people that make up the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are a dedicated group that care very much about doing the right thing. When it was time to remodel the building they occupy in downtown Madison, staff advocated for a strong reuse and recycle policy.
The 8-story General Executive Facility 2 (GEF2) was completed in 1979. It had not received much updating since then. The infrastructure was in need of replacement and the desire was to become more energy efficient. The remodel took over a decade to come to fruition finishing in 2008. It started with the six year planning process and the scope of work changed over time. Sustainable design became more important.
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Through the planning process, there was much discussion about being "green" versus being "sustainable." Labor costs were weighed against material re-use and recycle costs. The goal was to reduce waste as much as possible and still update the building with new infrastructure that would lower operating costs and with durable finishes that would last a long time. This was a no-frills project with an aggressive construction schedule.
Key Facts
- 164,320 lbs. (over 82 tons) metal recycled just in 2007
- Heating/ventilating/air conditioning (HVAC) main ductwork and air volume distribution (VAV) boxes reused; old ductwork, strapping, diffusers, and broken VAV boxes recycled
- New energy efficient air handling system was added (direct digital control variable air volume system) contributing to a major portion of the building's energy savings
- 14 PCB ballasts, 4,452 lbs. of regular ballasts, and 3,922 fluorescent lamps properly disposed
- 49% recycle rate of cardboard, concrete, and wood; overall construction recycle rate of 69%
- Copper wire, conduit, hangers, and light fixtures recycled
- Copper pipe and water fountains recycled
- Sinks and toilets reused
- Ceiling grid recycled
- 171,444 sq. ft. of ceiling tile for six floors recycled; 8th floor ceiling tile contains 74% recycled content
- 3,357 ft of existing demountable walls repaired, repainted, and reused
- Wood doors, door frames and hinges reused
- Chair rail reused
- Low odor/low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint used on walls, door frames, and other surfaces
- Old carpet recycled; new carpet has 40% post-industrial recycle content
- System furniture from DNR and other agencies cleaned and reused on 2 floors saving $350,000; some DNR systems furniture warehoused for use in other projects (see details below)
- 25 tons of system furniture recycled to extent possible; each cubible panel consists of 30% waste and 70% metal; 50 panels = 1 ton
- Free-standing furniture cleaned and kept, recycled, or sent to UW Swap (see details below)
- Reused DNR and DOR mobile shelving saving $113,925 in new shelving costs, $1,650 in freight, and 64,495 lbs of steel from having to be recycled (see details below)
- Using photo & motions sensors, reducing number of tubes per fixture by half, and using 5000 Kelvin tubes reducted the overall energy usage by more than 25% for the same amount of light
- Clerestory windows brings more daylight into floor centers
- New interior blinds vs. old in-glass blinds lets in more natural light
- Front door area glass is low-E glass for efficiency, low-reflectance for avoiding bird injury
Recycle, Reuse, and Coordinating with Other Agencies
Systems furniture was reused on a couple of floors. All of third floor used components from other locations and most of 8th floor reused systems furniture from elsewhere in GEF2. After it was reconfigured the panels were steam cleaned. It was the equivalent of doing a 10,000 piece puzzle; very time consuming. Each floor would have cost approximately $455,000 for 135 new cubicles. For third floor, about $106,000 was spent paying for the installers, miscellaneous new pieces, and pull plus transport time from a warehouse, saving roughly $350,000 in costs plus the benefit of reusing.
DNR reused mobile shelving components from existing GEF2 installations. They also took Department of Revenue's (DOR) surplus static shelving and altered it to be used in GEF2 as more mobile shelving units. DNR gave whatever DOR shelving that wasn't used to the Department of Health & Family Services for use in their building. The project saved $114,000 in new shelving costs, saved $1,650 in freight, and kept 64,500 pounds of steel from having to be recycled.
In assessing the existing free-standing furniture, it was decided to keep gently used items and send ancient broken pieces to metal recycling. DNR gave pieces no longer needed to UW SWAP. SWAP collects, processes, and redistributes surplus property generated by UW-Madison and state agencies, while providing them and non-profit organizations with low-cost, quality surplus equipment and supplies and finding reuse and recycling markets for surplus property.
Moving Back In
DNR has an in-house "SWAP room" where staff can bring in or take reusable office supplies. The DNR Green Team also recycles computer hardware, Tyvek envelopes, transparencies, and batteries. An abundance of other items came in as staff were cleaning house - these many items (especially 3-ring binders, plastic paper trays, slide carousels) were given to UW-SWAP, schools, Boys & Girls clubs, Scouts, 4-H, day care centers, and St. Vincent de Paul.
Now that staff is settled into newly remodeled space, all benefit from increased daylight, better air flow, and a more open floor plan. And with the more efficient layout, DNR was able to absorb staff from two leased spaces and consolidate them all into GEF2, saving $637,000 in rent last fiscal year. We have also experienced a 20% reduction in energy use for the building. This project has been a win-win for DNR staff and the State of Wisconsin.
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