Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus was honored with the 2019 Sustainable Construction Award at the New York Build Expo that took place on March 12 at the Javits Center.
The award was received by Lendlease, a construction management firm on the project, in recognition of the sustainable construction techniques employed when building the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Lenfest Center for the Arts and Central Energy Plant.
Lendlease worked in partnership with Columbia, a sustainability consultant, and the design team to earn the New York City Construction Award for Sustainable Construction Award at the New York Build Expo, using an innovative, multi-faceted approach. The sustainable construction techniques utilized during these projects include:
- Developing a model clean construction program for the Manhattanville campus, which includes the prioritization of electric equipment over diesel equipment; the use of the latest diesel emission control technology for on road and off road equipment when diesel is required; a wheel washing system for trucks that uses a high volume of recycled water, and other efforts addressing air quality, noise and vibration reduction and pest management.
- Maximizing select products from local and regional manufacturers within 500 miles of the project site and using recycled building materials reduced waste and minimized the University’s carbon footprint when constructing the buildings.
- Approximately 60 tons of scrap drywall were recycled into new gypsum products, which contributed to the projects’ total landfill diversion rate of more than 90 percent.
- Products used in construction selected in part based on their low-VOC (volatile organic compound) content.
- Extensive indoor air quality testing and flush-outs of the new HVAC system were performed.
Third-party companies, on behalf of the city and state, continually monitor Columbia’s adherence to its comprehensive clean construction program.
