National Academies Press: OpenBook

Sustainable Airport Construction Practices (2011)

Chapter: Chapter 6 - Case Studies

« Previous: Chapter 5 - How to Use the Collection
Page 18
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Case Studies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Sustainable Airport Construction Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22925.
×
Page 18
Page 19
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Case Studies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Sustainable Airport Construction Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22925.
×
Page 19
Page 20
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Case Studies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Sustainable Airport Construction Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22925.
×
Page 20
Page 21
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Case Studies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Sustainable Airport Construction Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22925.
×
Page 21

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

The research team attempted to obtain as much information about each sustainable construction practice as possible, given time and budget constraints. This information was used, along with our collective experience, to identify considerations potential users of the Collection should be aware of before implementing specific practices. Although the perspectives on some practices differed among airports based on size and location, many practices were rated as beneficial regardless of airport size or location. In the interviews, the most frequently mentioned sustainable construction practices included: • Reuse and recycling of construction waste (concrete, asphalt, landscape debris, soil); • Energy Star certified products/increasing energy efficiency; • Development of mission statements; • Use of sustainable and local materials; • U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification; • Life-cycle analyses; • Anti-idling campaigns; • Specifying project goals for recycled content; and • Minimizing site disturbance, erosion/stormwater control. Common themes from the airport operator interviews included the belief that cost consider- ations are an overriding factor when selecting practices to implement (as opposed to stand-alone environmental or sustainable benefits); the importance of complying with permitting and zoning requirements; the need to obtain direction from the local government (e.g., the city has higher sustainability standards with which airports must comply); and impediments to implementation (e.g., regulations/FAA approval and eligibility for funding). A number of case studies of sustainable construction practices are provided to illustrate some of the information obtained and learned during the development of the Collection. 6.1 Case Study: Warm-Mix Asphalt Warm-mix asphalt is a generic term applied to different techniques for producing asphalt (mixing and placing) at lower temperatures than typically used. According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association (2010), reductions of between 50°F and 100°F have been achieved. The benefits of using warm-mix asphalt techniques include reduced fuel consumption required for asphalt production, resulting in reduced emissions. Field tests conducted in Ohio showed (depending on the technique used) reduced fuel use of up to 17 percent and reductions in total particulate emissions of up to 77 percent; reductions in nitrogen oxides of up to 21 percent; reductions in carbon monoxide of up to 63 percent; and reductions in volatile organic compounds of up to 62 percent (Hurley et al. 2009). 18 C H A P T E R 6 Case Studies

Despite these potential benefits, airport operators are taking a cautious approach to incorpo- rating warm-mix asphalt techniques in airport construction projects. The operator of Elmira Corning Regional Airport has opted not to use this technique because, in research the airport’s engineering staff has conducted, asphalt laid using warm-mix techniques did not have the same expected lifespan as hot-mix asphalt laid using conventional techniques (Crook 2009). The City of Phoenix Aviation Department does not use warm-mix asphalt because staff has determined that warm-mix asphalt melts when exposed to the high summer temperatures experienced in Phoenix (Parker, et al. 2009). In contrast, the Calgary Airport Authority is testing warm-mix asphalt techniques on taxiway improvements adjacent to apron areas. The Authority is conducting a timed evaluation to determine how asphalt laid using warm-mix asphalt techniques compares to asphalt laid concurrently using conventional techniques. Before using warm-mix asphalt in wider applications, the Authority needs to be confident about the longevity and strength of the pavement (Thompson 2009). 6.2 Case Study: Pavement Management The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducts research on all aspects of transportation, including pavement materials, techniques, equipment, and test procedures. Its pavement manage- ment program focuses on “improving the durability, safety, and efficiency of pavement materials and structures, within both economic and environmental constraints” (TTI 2010). Thomas J. Freeman, Director of TTI’s Pavement Management Program, noted several techniques that can be used to prevent premature distress of asphalt pavement (Freeman 2009). These include: • Extending the base course pavement width by 1 to 2 feet beyond the top pavement layer. Because edges of pavement typically experience greater stress (primarily from moisture changes), cracks can occur in the portion of the base course that extends beyond the top layer of pavement without causing cracks in the top layer. • Using a non-fossil-fuel based, nonvolatile, environmentally friendly prime coat. The conventional purpose of the prime coat is to waterproof and bond asphalt, yet TTI’s research indicates that traditional diesel-based prime coats do not assist with pavement bonding. Thus, a prime coat that provides waterproofing is all that is needed (since bonding does not occur with traditional prime coats anyway). • Using chip seals in cracks before using slurry seals or microsurfacing maintenance methods to stop pavement cracking. 6.3 Case Study: Material Reuse At Dallas Love Field, the Dallas Aviation Department is in the process of removing three con- courses, while simultaneously constructing a new LEED Silver Certified facility (Peacock 2009). Several sustainable construction practices are being incorporated in the process, including material reuse from concrete washout devices. As part of the Clean Water Act, the discharge of any pollutant into navigable waters is prohibited at construction sites; a common best management practice (BMP) to comply with this act is the implementation of concrete washout devices. Concrete washout devices are commonly located at egress points and all trucks leaving the site are required to be thoroughly washed down to avoid offsite contamination. The washout from these devices should not be let into storm drains, open ditches, streets, or streams. At Dallas Love Field, construction crews are taking this concept a step further and allowing for reuse of this waste material. Case Studies 19

The wastewater and concrete mixture recovered in the concrete washout devices are allowed to solidify and then put into an onsite rock crusher. After the hardened concrete is crushed, it is backfilled for projects as subgrade. As concourses at the airport are demolished, several tunnels must be filled, allowing for entire onsite reuse of the crushed concrete (Peacock 2009). 6.4 Case Study: Anti-Idling Campaign Idling can cost drivers of light-duty vehicles up to 0.75 gallon of gasoline per hour, which at 5 to 10 minutes of idling per day amounts to burning nearly two tanks of fuel per year solely due to idling. Many cities and counties have implemented anti-idling programs. The City and County of Denver has established an idling ordinance, limiting idling to 5 minutes in most situations to help reduce air pollution. On an annual basis, idling in the Denver metropolitan area is responsible for an estimated 40,000 tons of harmful air pollution and 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (City and County of Denver 2010). As part of this city-wide ordinance, the city’s Department of Aviation has implemented a strong anti-idling campaign at Denver International Airport. In coordination with the Department of Public Works, the Department of Aviation posts signage on both the airside and landside areas of the airport to turn engines off to avoid idling. Additionally, air fresheners with the “Engines-Off! Denver” slogans are placed in vehicles after they undergo maintenance (Barrilleaux 2009). This campaign works to limit idling from construction and maintenance vehicles, as well as customer vehicles when picking up or dropping off passengers. 6.5 Case Study: LEED Awareness The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using practices that are environmentally sensitive. In 2006, the State of Hawaii passed a law that required the developers of all new construction in the state to participate in the LEED certification process. This directive applied LEED to all new airport construction, including the modernization program at Honolulu International Airport. As a relatively new statewide program, the State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation, Airports Division faced many challenges during implementation of the LEED process with the modernization program. As many of the contractors on the project were unaware or unfamiliar with all of the LEED guidelines, significant education was needed for the venture to be successful. During an interview conducted in November 2009, the project manager, Wendy Chuk, stated that the “main challenge was the learning curve.” However, to help educate the contractors, several posters were displayed around the construction site setting forth LEED requirements and processes. A Green Building Services Consultant was also engaged to help facilitate the LEED procedures and requirements. To bring sustainable aspects of a project to fruition, the Airports Division highlighted the importance of requiring regular meetings between the team and the sustainability liaison. Additionally, airport staff was a resource to the construction team by providing fact sheets about regional materials or recycled content materials to contractors. Also, to maintain social awareness, the Airports Division passed out informational brochures to the community about upcoming LEED projects (Willhelm 2009). 6.6 Case Study: Materials Management Program In 2004, the Port of Oakland established a Materials Management Program to manage materials generated from construction, demolition, and maintenance of Capital Improvement Program projects (e.g., roadways and parking lots) at Oakland International Airport. The program has 20 Sustainable Airport Construction Practices

been used to recycle construction materials associated with the airport’s $300 million Terminal Improvement Program (Port of Oakland 2010). Through the Materials Management Program, materials such as asphalt, concrete, vegetation, and excavated soils are diverted from the landfill and reused onsite. Three on-airport locations are used for stockpiling, recycling, and rock crushing, allowing for the reduction of new materials costs and associated truck emissions related to the disposal of waste (Herman 2009). In 2006, the Port’s Materials Management Program won the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Class A/D Environmental Achievement Award. According to the Port of Oakland website, as of November 2009, the program has resulted in the recycling and reuse of over 500,000 cubic yards of construction materials (300,000 currently stockpiled for use) and will save the Port $5 million over the entire course of the program. 6.7 Case Study: Pavement Resurfacing The Metropolitan Airports Commission oversees seven airports, including Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport (MSP). As part of a 20-year project to resurface pavements at MSP, a new technology was used to reduce the time associated with mixing and laying asphalt pavements. The Commission contracted the work through a company that used a 300-foot machine to mill, mix, add hot tar, and then lay and pack asphalt all in one pass (Fuhrmann 2009). It should be noted that the FAA requires that this process can only be implemented for noncritical surfaces. 6.8 Case Study: Use of Solar Cells Motivating factors for implementing sustainable construction practices will vary from airport to airport. At Tallahassee Regional Airport, the City of Tallahassee is focused on saving energy and realizing the goal of the airport becoming self-sustaining. In 2008, a contract went to bid for the installation of a solar powered energy generation system (Clow 2009). The solar cells were recently installed even though there was no expected monetary payback: the cells were installed strictly for environmental and social benefits. The costs for these systems are not recoverable as the payback period would be more than 60 years (Clow 2009). Case Studies 21

Next: References »
Sustainable Airport Construction Practices Get This Book
×
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 42: Sustainable Airport Construction Practices explores a set of best practices, methods, procedures, and materials that if implemented during construction may have a sustainable, positive economic, operational, environmental, or social effect.

The report includes the collection of sustainable airport construction practices in a searchable, filterable spreadsheet format on a CD-ROM, which is packaged with the report.

The CD-ROM included as part of ACRP Report 42 is also available for download from TRB’s website as an ISO image. Links to the ISO image and instructions for burning a CD-ROM from an ISO image are provided below.

Help on Burning an .ISO CD-ROM Image

Download the .ISO CD-ROM Image

(Warning: This is a large file that may take some time to download using a high-speed connection.)

CD-ROM Disclaimer - This software is offered as is, without warranty or promise of support of any kind either expressed or implied. Under no circumstance will the National Academy of Sciences or the Transportation Research Board (collectively “TRB’) be liable for any loss or damage caused by the installation or operations of this product. TRB makes no representation or warrant of any kind, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, including without limitation, the warranty of merchantability or the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and shall not in any case be liable for any consequential or special damages.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!