In case you have not been on campus in recent weeks, Phase 1 of the New Talley is, as one of my favorite sub shops says, “fully involved.” The old bookstore is gone, the fountain has been dismantled and trees have been removed or transplanted. If you stand and watch the demolition, it is hard to imagine what that corner of campus looked like just a few weeks ago and to imagine the wonderful transformation that will consume it over the next two years.
It was impossible for any of us to fully understand, through artist renderings, information sessions or planning meetings, just how massive the undertaking and visual impact would be of the first phase of construction. It is human nature to jointly embrace and push away from change. We get excited about the potential of new; whether that be buildings or a football season. Our collective hopes and expectations are high, and especially in this day and age, we expect a quick route to the end product. Then reality sets in and we realize, no matter how fast we can share video over the Internet, a building construction project takes a lot of good old-fashioned sweat equity to reach its conclusion.
You may not be aware that former Chancellor Oblinger, in January 2008, signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Among other things, the commitment calls for NC State to achieve a minimum of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Silver standard, or equivalent, on all new buildings and renovation projects over 20,000 gross square feet. The new Talley Student Center will be one of the first ten projects completed on campus to showcase green design and building techniques. A full list of LEED projects currently underway at NC State can be found on the “LEED Projects in Progress” page of the newly redesigned sustainability.ncsu.edu .
To truly achieve the standards developed by the USGBC, green elements must be considered in the earliest planning sessions which could be many months before designs are complete or construction begins. For instance, the decision was made to keep an inventory of all the trees removed from the Talley site such that an equal number could be planted in the final landscape design or in other areas of campus. Several of the Japanese Maples were replanted on campus and the large Oak and Magnolia trees just west of Reynolds Coliseum were not cut.
I asked Robert Bradley, grounds manager for main campus, about the trees that were removed and he said, “Each one was analyzed, and the wood quality was found to be poor. So, the wood was hauled away to be turned into mulch.”
It is understandable that many question the logic behind removing so much foliage from campus, however, it should be noted that the final landscape is one of very few projects on campus that will replace bricks and concrete with an expansive lawn. The “Great Lawn,” as it is being called, will be a wonderful outdoor study or gathering space that will tie the New Talley to Wolf Plaza, the Tri-Towers and Tucker Beach. Additionally, it should be noted that numerous smaller plants have been transplanted as part of Andy Fox’s Landscape Architecture Design/Build (LA500) project currently underway between Owen and Turlington residence halls. More information on the rehabilitation of that neglected campus site can be found here.
One important part of any building project is the impact the construction and debris (C&D) has on the landfill. NC State is committed to recycling, or reusing, materials whenever possible. Take the recently opened Sullivan Shops III building that houses Waste Reduction and Recycling and Grounds Management. In that project, at least 75% of the construction waste was recycled. In fact, in fiscal year 2010, Facilities Operations collected 360 tons of C&D and recycled 70% of that total.
Once again, Robert Bradley proved to be a wealth of information on the New Talley. Bradley said, “Roughly 25 tons of blue stone pavers and boulders were salvaged for use in the LA500 project over the next five years. In addition, many brick pavers were removed from the North Talley site. They will be used on campus or sold for surplus.” Bradley continued, “The fountain statue will also find a new home on campus.”
When I asked Charlie Marshall, project manager of the New Talley, about the landfill impact of the Bookstore demolition, he said, “We expect 75 percent of construction materials to be diverted from landfills by either recycling or salvaging practices.”
The path to the end is not always a pretty one. It is much like when your Mom told you to clean your room as a child. You had to make piles of dirty clothes, piles of school papers, piles of music-related gear and a pile of randomness or two. Only after you completed that task could you really start cleaning and rebuilding your room. I can assure you, throughout this demolition and rebuilding, many steps are being taken to ensure as much vegetation and construction materials will be replanted, reused or diverted from the landfill as possible.
The New Talley will look new, but it will hold many memories of the past within its walls and upon its grounds.