Energy Resource Center

Contact:
Diane Morrison 

We all know about recycling. From aluminum to plastic to newspapers, much of our solid waste can be diverted from landfills and reused, and in the process we can help protect the environment and even save money. The Southern California Gas Company, believing that recycling and energy efficiency can be even more beneficial when practiced on a grand scale, decided to illustrate this principle on something, well, enormous. So they recycled an entire building. 

The result of this massive recycling and efficiency effort, the Energy Resource Center (ERC), incorporates state-of-the-art efficiency measures into its construction and operation and serves as an energy resource center by displaying the latest in energy-efficient appliances, designs and materials. 

Southern California Gas chose as the site of its ERC facility a location in metropolitan Los Angeles on which an old Gas Company building, built in the 1950s, stood. The building was dismantled and roughly 400 tons of its materials -- from the glass in the windows to the bricks in the facade -- were incorporated into the new structure. Materials that could not be reused were sold to other developers for reuse. In all, about 62% of the old building was used in the new center. 

Additionally, numerous recycled materials from other sources -- from old airplane scrap, to old gas pipelines to guns confiscated by the sheriff's department and melted down -- were incorporated into the building's design. All efficiency measures, including building on their own site, enabled the Gas Company to save about $3 million during the $6.75 million dollar building's construction. 

"We can't afford to continue to do things the old way," says Robert Goulden, senior project manager for the ERC. "The cost to the environment, to the Earth, is too high." 

Not only does the Gas Company hope that the ERC will serve as a model for future construction, but that by utilizing the efficiency design database and other resources offered at the ERC, other companies will also adopt more energy-efficient practices. 

"There's been a recognition that our environment is fragile," says Larry Wolff, principal of Wolff/Lang/Christopher Architects, the design leader on the project. "People are now realizing that we have to start facing the music and do business a little differently." 

Program Highlights 

Construction 

• Recycled materials appear in walkways, wall coverings, stairs and ceilings -- the majority of construction at ERC.
• Part of a retired World War II Navy submarine was melted down to make a portion of the building's steel frame.
• Recycled newspapers make up the wall paneling, and the panels are covered with sisal, a fabric made from recycled tropical plants.
• Weapons confiscated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department were melted, and a portion of the steel was used in the structural concrete.
• Recycled aluminum from airplanes was used to make a reflective wall.
• A 100% recycled wood floor was reclaimed from a San Francisco warehouse, which was condemned after the Loma Prieta earthquake.
• Rubber automobile tires were boiled and used as a slurry to cover the parking lot, creating a quieter, longer-lasting surface.
• Scraps of orange plastic piping used to transport natural gas underground were added to the concrete mix for color.
• Hundreds of bricks from the original building's facade were used in the walkway.
• Milk cartons were used to build the benches located outside the center.
• Broken glass from windows was used to make the countertop of the 20-foot-long reception desk.
• All painted surfaces are coated with nontoxic, environmentally-friendly paints. Wood finishes that aren't recycled come from sustainable wood products.

• A computer system monitors the efficiency of the building, making automatic adjustments in building temperature, lights and air flow.
• The green characteristics of the building -- from super-insulating windows to digital sensors that raise and lower lights -- added about $250,000 to the cost of the building. The $25,000 they will generate in annual energy savings means these investments will pay for themselves in about 10 years.
• ERC will adopt new lighting, air conditioning and other technologies as they become available.

The ERC offers the following rooms that provide information and demonstrate state-of-the-art technologies, including: 

• Air Quality Room. Offering information on the effects of major air pollutants, such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Demonstrates advanced gas technologies can become part of the solution.
• Climate Control Center. Alternatives to CFC-dependent (chlorofluorocarbon) air conditioning systems.
• The Combustion Room. Pollution comparison for different fossil fuels, details on the mechanics of combustion, information on natural gas as a clean combustion fuel.
• The Compaq Energy Simulation Center. Visitors can conduct computer simulations to evaluate and optimize energy system designs and gain access to comparable energy efficiency case studies.
• The Food Service Equipment Center. Helps food service businesses choose the most energy-efficient appliances, provides information on catalytic infrared heating systems (appliances that that oxidize natural gas into harmless carbon dioxide and water vapor, while generating heat).
• The Natural Gas Vehicle Room. Information about natural gas vehicles, including comparisons of emissions from gasoline and natural gas cars, trucks and vans.
• The Residential Room. Offers efficiency tips for homeowners.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Southern California Gas Company built and manages the Energy Resource Center. Among many others, partnerships and/or cooperative relationships were formed with State of California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Carrier Corporation, Compaq Computer, Interface Carpet, Landis and Gyr Powers, Inc., Microsoft and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. 

Budget: Total project cost is $6.75 million. 

Community Served: Businesses and residents in the Los Angeles area and across the country. 

Measures of Success:

• More than 60 resource-efficient technologies and materials were used in the construction of the ERC.
• About 62% of the old Gas Company building was incorporated into the new Energy Resource Center.
• Efficiency technologies make the ERC 40% more energy-efficient than comparable buildings.
• Innovative heating, ventilation, lighting and building systems exceed the requirements of the Title 24 building code by 45%.
• More than $3 million in savings were realized during construction as a result of reusing materials and building upon a site already owned by the Gas Company.
• A recycling Exposition on May 16, 1996 was held to showcase latest recycling materials, equipment, etc.
• Publication of a "Sourcebook" and Fact Sheets containing information for those who wish to incorporate aspects of sustainable design into their businesses.  

 

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