Project expected to exceed target of repurposing, reusing and recycling more than 75% of the building materials, which will be used to build a new fire station, among other city projects
Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that it is nearing completion of a sustainable deconstruction project with the City of Boulder at the municipality’s former Boulder Community Health Hospital. The deconstructed building materials will be used for a new fire station and other city projects. These efforts are part of the City of Boulder’s overall goal to divert 85% of its waste from landfills by 2025.
Completion of this project is expected to exceed the city’s target of repurposing, reusing, and recycling more than 75% of the building’s materials. To date, demolition of the hospital’s interior has reached completion, and Ameresco is working to remove the remaining concrete floors, steel, and exterior materials. In the preliminary deconstruction phase, direct pumps, motors, doors, fixtures, and other materials were auctioned off rather than dumped at a landfill. During the current and final deconstruction phase, the focus has turned to reusing the former hospital’s structural steel for a new fire station, which is slated to open in mid-2024, and other new building projects throughout Boulder.
“We are thankful to Ameresco with whom we forged a good partnership to achieve maximum reuse of materials from the former hospital and demonstrate that sustainable deconstruction can be successfully implemented to help advance circular economy goals and environmental development. […] To meet our climate goals and lower our total carbon impact, it is essential to incorporate all opportunities for reuse, especially of elements, like steel and concrete that take a large amount of energy to make.”
— Michele Crane, Chief Architect and Facilities Capital Projects Manager, City of Boulder
Deconstruction is a sustainable alternative to traditional demolition, which can often have detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. Deconstruction is also a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy waste. The sustainable deconstruction of the former community hospital contributes to Boulder’s zero waste and circular economy initiatives, both of which were instrumental in informing the project’s planning phases and meeting the city’s climate goals.
“We are proud to partner with the City of Boulder and commend their leadership in this initiative to execute sustainable deconstruction of the built environment,” said Lou Maltezos, Executive Vice President, Ameresco. “This deconstruction project is an important foundational example of innovative sustainability for the communities where we live and work. We are grateful to be a cleantech partner to the City of Boulder on their path to achieving their environmental milestones.”
The work at the former Boulder Community Health Hospital started in 2019 and is expected to reach completion by fall 2023.
