What happens when a building reaches the end of its useful life?Today, as society, in general, and Chicagoland, in particular, embracethe principles of sustainability, options for a building at the end of itsusefulness are many. Perhaps once hard to imagine, the three Rs ofenvironmentalists: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle can actually apply to build-ings as well as grocery bags.

REDUCEMasonry has the distinction of being a building material that can playmany roles. Choosing a masonry product as a building material todaycan reduce the number of other building materials necessary. It can bestructural, as well as veneer. Continuous research and development bymanufacturers mean that there are more options available than ever

before in colors, shapes, sizes and textures, aswell as attributes such as water repellency. It hasenergy efficient thermal properties, potentiallyreducing the size of HVAC systems necessary toheat and cool a space. Acoustic properties absorband reflect sound, eliminating the need for addi-tional acoustic materials. It provides fire separa-tion, is not combustible and is resistant to moldgrowth ensuring a safer building. It is durable,long-lasting and produced in most regions of theUS with abundant materials, making it readilyavailable and cost effective to transport. Thereare many ways masonry’s inherent attributesreduce materials, costs and schedule involvedwith initial construction and throughout abuilding’s life cycle.

REUSEReuse of a building is becoming a more commonand often preferred practice over building anew.Recognized by the US Green Building Council’sLEED programs, reusing existing buildings canearn green points because it conserves so manyof the natural resources required in new con-struction, not to mention construction costs andschedule. In Chicago, an older established city,history is an asset. Many beautiful, sound build-ings exist and continue to transition with the cityas it experiences a cultural and financial revivalfrom its industrial past.

32 THE MASONRY EDGE VOL. 3 NO. 3

The mantra of environmentalists has reached the building community BY ELIZABETH YOUNG

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Cook County’s first LEED Certified buildingearned a Silver rating in part for its reuse of a1892 print shop and warehouse building. OtherLEED points to which masonry contributedinclude Energy and Atmosphere OptimizeEnergy Performance (28% above ASHRAE stan-dards), Materials and Resources credit 2.1 and2.2, Construction Waste Management (75%),credit 4.1 Recycled Content (10%), credit 5.1Regional Materials (20%). A low VOC masonrystain was applied to the exterior of the buildingto match brick where infill and repairs over theyears were not consistent.

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Adaptive reuse applies a new purpose to the building. Warehousesbecoming loft apartments or condos was an early and popular way toreuse existing spaces while enticing young professionals back intourban areas. Owners, developers and architects are becoming more cre-ative with the possibilities afforded existing buildings with new life.

At the beginning of the decade, Cook County was searching for anew facility to house its Domestic Violence Courthouse. ElizabethMelas, deputy director of capital planning for Cook County, explainsthat they had several criteria in mind while looking for the right prop-erty. Proximity to downtown, close to public transportation, a certainsize range and price were among the requirements for the county.

George Halik, AIA, principle at Booth Hansen Architects in Chicago,has experience adapting existing buildings for new uses with manyclients. As an architect, his list of criteria for evaluating existing buildingsfor adaptive reuse projects takes many things into consideration.Structure is first. He explains that warehouse buildings were typicallydesigned for very heavy loading, making them good candidates for avariety of new uses whose demands are not so great.

Column grid is another consideration when determining how inte-rior spaces can be used. Not that it can’t be worked out, he says, but itdoes take careful planning. How deep is the space and what is the expo-sure to light? Adapting warehouses for new uses brings daylighting andfenestration issues to the fore. He explains that “lofts” are not so muchan architectural style as they are a result of allowances made to meetcode. Because windows and ventilation are limited in these buildings,interior walls cannot go all the way to the ceiling so that natural light,mechanicals and ventilation can penetrate further into the space.Additionally, ceiling height matters depending on the intended use.

Of course, life safety and ADA requirements must be able to bemade to bring a building up to today’s code. The number of exits andaccessibility to stairwells, elevators and ramps must be able to beaccommodated on the interior and exterior.

Other exterior areas of consideration are the building’s orientationon the site and condition of the façade. How all of the above relate tothe specific function of the building must be evaluated, with addi-tional concerns of location, cost, etc.

In the situation of the Cook County Domestic ViolenceCourthouse, the building at 555 W Harrison Street was a good fit.Originally built in 1892 as a print shop and warehouse, the nearly200,000 sf structure had been gutted by a previous owner and was sit-ting empty. The four-story building addressed their space needs andprovided an envelope able to accommodate courtrooms, offices, pri-vate meeting spaces, public lobby spaces, a child care facility, tempo-rary hold cells, police and guard areas and separation of defendantsand plaintiffs as the county desired.

The nearly 2´ thick, triple-wythe brick walls were structurallysound, contributed significantly to the insulated wall system for ener-gy conservation and only in need of cosmetic and minor repairs to thebuilding that had been standing more than one hundred years. It wasthe back of the building that was facing downtown, however, so whathad been the back became the front and main entrance of the newcourthouse. The beige colored common brick façade became an inte-rior lobby wall, left naturally exposed.

Mason contractor Esche and Lee was on the job for about a yearbuilding new interior walls and cleaning and tuck pointing the exterior

brick. A brick staining company was brought in to stain the east, westand south elevations to a unified rust red color, matching the new frontfacade. The granite base had some areas that were damaged or missing.Careful manufacturing and installation of a large 3´ x 3´ x 1´ precastrock faced stone product was a cost-effective match. Inside, reinforcedCMU temporary holding cells were constructed on the lower levelwhere defendants are held before and after court appearances.

RECYCLEWhen you have a significant building, it is just expected that it will berenovated, states Halik. There are federal funds available through a

VOL. 3 NO. 3 THE MASONRY EDGE 33

The wall that had been the exterior rear of the original building waspreserved as the interior wall of the new 16´ deep atrium at the mainentry. The new exterior wall is a clay tile rain screen system that com-plements the brick that has been retained on the other three eleva-tions. Large windows wash the atrium in light and allow glimpses ofthe historic brick wall from the outside.

34 THE MASONRY EDGE VOL. 3 NO. 3

historic tax credits program and “landmark”programs available at city, state and federallevels making this sort of reuse more attrac-tive. Smaller or less significant buildings oftensuffer a different fate. Demolition is still theeasiest and least costly option for eliminatingan unwanted building, but deconstruction ofthese buildings is picking up steam.

Deconstruction contractors work withthe salvage and antique industries to literal-ly recycle products from one structure intoanother. Fixtures, like chandeliers, doorsand hardwood flooring are among the easi-er and more common items to salvage, butbrick and stone have a niche market, as well.

Ken Ortiz, a regional manager with TheReuse People, was the first certified decon-struction contractor in the Midwest. A con-tractor for 25 years, Ortiz read an articleabout the work The Reuse People were doingon the west coast and called them. A non-profit organization based in Oakland, CA, theorganization runs a thriving deconstruction,salvage and resale business operating in theBay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle,Denver, Boulder and now Chicago.

“I find this work extremely satisfying,”says Ortiz, who explains that deconstructinga house or building is done in reverse ofbuilding it. The last things up are the firstthings out. With five crews of seven workerseach, Ortiz is responsible for the decon-struction of 15 houses over the past twoyears. “We have five projects going on rightnow and six more lined up.”

The problem with deconstruction, ofcourse, is the time involved. While it may takea bulldozer and as few as two workers twodays to demo a 2,500 sf home, deconstruc-tion will take a crew of seven about fourweeks. As a result of the time involved and thesmall number of certified deconstructioncontractors — Ortiz has trained four othersin Chicago — deconstruction is an optionchosen more by upper middle-class home-owners who want to build something differ-ent on their lot and who can benefit from thetax breaks of deconstructing and donatingthe materials to The Reuse People. Ortizexplains a client’s scenario as an example. “Aclient paid $4 million for a 7500 sf house thathe had deconstructed for approximately $10to $12 per sf. The tax donation value he canclaim for donating the materials of the houseis approximately $50 to $60 per square foot.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

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Some people donate materials, then buythem back for pennies on the dollar andcome out ahead financially.”

Tax breaks make deconstruction workwell in the private sector. Key to being able toclaim a significant tax donation is havinghigh quality reusable materials to donate.Ortiz has not done much in the public sector,but is currently in talks with the City aboutthe possibilities and is finding his contactsthere very receptive. In addition to projectswithin Chicago, is the possibility of creating“green collar” jobs. There is not a lot of skilledlabor involved in deconstruction. Trainingcan be completed in a short amount of time.

Because of the sheer volume of materialsthat come out of a building at deconstruc-tion, it takes a network of people to make thewhole process work. Ortiz has been workingwith an auctioneer and architectural sal-vagers for some of the more ornate and valu-able items from the projects. An architecturalsalvager from Minnesota came to an auctionat one of Ortiz’s projects are purchased six15´ limestone columns, complete with basesand capitals, that had adorned the front por-tico of the home for $1000. Fireplaces, stairsand other stone items can often be removedand sold at auction. He warehouses muchmore, which will eventually go into the retailfacility The Reuse People plan to open inearly 2009. Brick, however, is so plentiful andpallets are heavy and bulky, he simply doesn’thave room to store too much. That is wherebrick salvagers come in.

Companies like Colonial Brick in Chicagoand Old Time Antique Brick & TimberCompany in Gilberts send crews to decon-struction sites where they clean, sort andstack pallets of brick they resell to architectsand homeowners around the country. Notany brick has a resale value, but Chicagocommon brick, locally manufactured fromthe mid1850s to the 1960s is plentiful in resi-dential, commercial and institutional build-ings alike. A typical wall assembly from someof these older buildings coming down wouldbe multi-wythe brick, so the volume is great.

Chicago common brick is a solid claybrick of modular size. It ranges in color from

VOL. 3 NO. 3 THE MASONRY EDGE 35

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pink to buff and is easy to clean of mortar asthe mortar used was sandier than today andsimply falls away from the brick with a firmhammer-tap. In Chicago, it is sought by peo-ple building additions to Chicago commonstructures. Outside Chicago, the market islarger, says Rick Tooker, operations managerof Old Time Antique Brick & Timber. “Manyof our customers are in Texas, Florida andother southern states. This color brick is pop-ular in the South.” It fits the architectural styleand salvage brick stands up better whensevere weather conditions aren’t common.

Phil Mumford, Jr, manager of ColonialBrick, says that the hundreds of millions ofcommon brick standing and from demoli-tion sites has created a viable niche market.Colonial Brick has been in business for 41years. Salvage brick are not less expensivethan new brick. They cost about 50 centseach, but they deal in a volume of millions ofbrick per year. Brick salvage companies arewholesalers to other brick distributors.

Rob Huette, sales manager for IllinoisBrick, says that they sell about 100,000 unitsof Chicago common in a year regionally,mostly for matching in repair jobs or

restoration projects. “There are so manybuildings still standing around Chicago builtfrom this brick, there will probably always bea market for it,” he explains.

Salvage brick is sold as is, with no guaran-tees. It is up to the customer to determinehow it will be used. The Brick Industry doesprovide a Technical Note (number 15) for sal-vage brick, which states that salvage brick maynot be as durable as new brick because of thelikelihood that it has been exposed to weath-ering, may not be able to be completelycleaned and it is almost impossible to sort andgrade common brick in a demolition site.

ROLE OF ARCHITECTSThere has definitely been a movement inarchitecture to design more sustainably andwith materials that are environmentallyresponsible, recycled and recyclable.Currently, some traditional materials cannotbe recycled or reused. Ortiz is able to saveabout 85% of construction materials forreuse in his new capacity as a deconstruc-tionist. It was the image of the dumpstersupon dumpsters of perfectly good materialshe had to throw away as a remodeler thatprompted his initial call to The ReusePeople. “My overall goal with this wholething is to keep reusable building materialsout of landfills,” he declares.

Like-minded Gary Beyerl, AIA, principalat Burns + Beyerl Architects in Chicago dis-covered Ortiz’ company about a year ago andis working on his fourth project with him.The current project entails leaving 25´ of a

100´ wall intact because of its elegance. Theformerly multi-wythe brick walls will bereplaced with more energy efficient insulat-ed masonry cavity walls with CMU backupand the original brick returning to theveneer. The Lannon stone foundation will bebroken up and used by the landscape archi-tect and the interior designer elsewhere onthe property.

“In general, we have been trying to get tothis point of holistic sustainability,” Beyerlexplains. “I’ve been a scavenger forever. Nowwe are hot on the trail of interrelationshipsbetween parts and materials. The spoils ofone project may be the gain of another.” Hecontinues,“Once you start looking for thingsin a certain way, pieces just fall into place.”Primarily a residential firm, Burns + Beyerlhas plenty of clients who feel the same way.“People are interested in the pursuit as muchas the finished product, otherwise theywould just buy a house.”

Beyond that, the 2030 Challenge issued in2006 by non-profit organization Architecture2030, urges the building industry as a wholeto reduce the carbon footprints of new build-ings and major renovations. The goal is 50%reduction of fossil-fuel greenhouse gas-emit-ting by 2010 and incremental reductions tocarbon neutral by 2030. Organizationsincluding the US Conference of Mayors, AIA,USGBC and the EPA have signed on.

The idea of a building reaching the end ofits useful life, or dying, is more often thanever being replaced by the idea of a buildingbeing reincarnated into something new.

Before and After. This 6,000 sf house in Wilmette was deconstructed resulting in 72 pallets of Chicago common brick salvaged by Colonial Brick.Antique brick dealers find the market for this brick extends as far away as Texas and Florida.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

“PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THE PURSUIT AS MUCH AS THE FINISHED PRODUCT, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD JUST BUY A HOUSE.”

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