2024 USGBC-CA Green Building Awards
Honor in Zero Waste & Circular Solutions
The Contra Costa County Administration Building (CCCAB), is the first government building to achieve TRUE Gold for Construction certification and is targeting LEED V4 Platinum certification.
The project’s exceptional outcomes, include:
• Diverting over 10,346 tons of material from landfills, achieving a 95.07% waste diversion rate.
• Saving over $27,711 through reuse initiatives and reducing 8,504 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through recycling and composting — equivalent to taking 1,806 gasoline-powered cars off the road for one year.
• Included several circular and reuse strategies implemented including salvaging and repurposing 3,430 pounds of marble from the original buildings for the new elevator lobbies. Resulting in 536 kg of CO2e in upfront embodied carbon emissions (A1-A3) saved.
• 2,253 tons of concrete waste sent to ABM, where it was ground into aggregate base material. This material was then used as basement fill for the new building, closing the loop on waste management.
The CCCAB implemented several unique steps to achieve its innovation in waste diversion and sustainability.
Prodeck horizontal formwork system by Webcor replaced traditional plywood formwork, preventing 54,900 lbs of plywood waste from ending up in landfills and saved over $23,000 in the process.
Various materials from the demolished buildings, such as office supplies, furniture, and appliances, were repurposed for use in the jobsite trailer, instead of being sent to landfill. Existing base rock was crushed and reused as fill for the demolished building’s basement and to build the foundation pad.
The project team took creative measures to cut down on on-going construction waste, such as reducing plastic bottle usage, repurposing construction gloves and wood into tables, and implementing QR codes to minimize paper waste.
Significant salvaging of materials from the old structures played a critical role:
• Marble panels from the old building were repurposed for the new elevator lobby
• 1,500 granite blocks from the old jail transformed into granite pavers for the plaza
• Perforated wood panels from the old council chambers reused as wood paneling in the new lobby.
• Wood dunnage was also reused by a vendor for shipping panels, with 450 pieces of lumber, 60% recycled from previous jobs, reducing 10,908 lbs of waste. A major circular reuse strategy was the decision to retain most of the existing foundation of the tower and mid-rise building below grade, instead of removing and off-hauling it. This action, coordinated with the demolition subcontractor, structural engineer, and geotechnical engineer, and approved from an environmental perspective, avoided the generation of 1,744,080 lbs of concrete waste.
This approach aligns with circular economy principles by focusing on retaining and optimizing the existing building stock. To address on-going waste, Contra Costa County Public Works Purchasing Department developed an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy (EPP) and vendor portal.
CCAB engaged the community by integrating sustainability with public education. Sustainability videos were developed to engage with the community about the project.
The videos were produced in English (Sustainability Tour of New Satellite Administration Building and Public Plaza) and Spanish (Recorrido Por La Sostenibilidad Del Nuevo Edificio De Administración De Satélites Y La Plaza Pública). Clearly labeled bilingual signage marked waste collection points, ensuring all workers could easily follow waste management protocols. Educational initiatives included a dashboard that tracked diversion rates and zero waste goals, along with safety training focused on hazardous waste prevention.
The CMAA Northern California Chapter Sustainability Program also contributed to community education by presenting a Case Study in TRUE Certification, highlighting the circular economy solutions implemented in the project. The event attracted attendees from organizations like Amazon, Sacramento County Airports, and the California Department of Corrections, as well as students from Cal Poly and Cal State East Bay.