APS Facilities Design & Construction

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, May 3, 2012 — The new main classroom building at Del Norte High School is completed, the first of a number of projects that will rebuild many of the aged school’s structures. Designed to meet at least a Silver LEED certification rating, a notable 92.6 percent of construction materials were recycled in building the 154,000 square foot classroom facility, leaving only 7.4 percent waste that will be sent to the landfill. ''APS began recycling materials in 2009 when the District started focusing on building LEED,'' said Karen Alarid, Director of Facilities Design + Construction for APS. ''While we’re aiming for at least a LEED Silver rating for all new construction, most projects have earned enough points for a GOLD rating.'' LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council’s certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Diverted asphalt and concrete comprised most of the recycled materials used on the Del Norte project, however trash and debris, scrap metal, and wood were also recycled. Because Del Norte is being rebuilt on an existing campus, a great deal of old asphalt and concrete can be recycled, but in any new project the wood pallets that materials are delivered in and the plastic that products are wrapped in can be used. Even seemingly small amounts of scrap metal add up and make a big contribution, according to Rich Miller, APS Staff Engineer and Project Manager on the Del Norte classroom project. ''While the General Contractor, Shumate Constructors, Inc., saved landfill fees paid by taxpayers, the crew also exceeded expectations in being responsible stewards of the environment,'' Miller stated. According to Lisa Logan of Green Ideas Sustainability Consultants and the LEED consultant on the Del Norte High School project, approximately 60-75 percent recycled materials is average for a LEED project, ''so 92.6 percent is really impressive,'' she stated.

Construction will continue at Del Norte and include a new Industrial and Fine Arts building, kitchen and cafeteria, parking, and roads when the updated school on the old site is fully completed in approximately December 2014.

To qualify for the LEED credit a project must recycle and/or salvage at least 50 percent of non-hazardous construction and demolition materials. APS projects have consistently delivered far greater percentages and in the case of the Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School rebuild, recycled a remarkable 99.7 of construction waste. The project numbers were high enough to earn an exemplary point largely due to the salvaged portable classrooms that averted the landfill.

A few other noteworthy APS new construction recycled totals include 97 percent on the new fine arts center, APS School Police facility, and computer lab at Valley High School; 89.8 percent on the science addition at Grant Middle School; 86 percent on the kindergarten addition and new computer lab at A. Montoya Elementary School; and 83 percent on Nex+Gen Academy High School, the first constructed ''new tech'' high school in the nation.

''APS represents a great deal of building stock in Albuquerque and is taking a stand to build using sustainable design principles,'' said Kris Callori of Environmental Dynamics and a consultant on many APS LEED projects. ''The school district has definitely raised the bar for other organizations to follow.''