Hamer Center Receives Grant to Study Opportunities for Reusing Recovered Building Materials
February 11, 2005
The Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance, in partnership with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), will be receiving a sub-grant of $37,440 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for a market development study of recovered residential building materials in southeastern Pennsylvania. The total award for the project is $95,866.
The study will assess supply/demand issues and related market barriers and opportunities for recovered wood, bricks, architectural salvage and other building materials. It will serve as a comprehensive resource that will strengthen the City of Philadelphia Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) and support emerging deconstruction and reuse companies in the region. The Hamer Center and ILSR will disseminate the findings throughout Pennsylvania to make communities aware of the opportunities for similar material recovery efforts in their regions.
“Building-related waste comprises anywhere from 25 to 35 percent of all solid waste produced in the United States. This waste represents loss of valuable resources, energy consumption and greenhouse gas production, and the impacts of landfills located in Pennsylvania’s rural communities. Fortunately, Pennsylvania also has a robust reuse and recycling economic sector that helps support developing a ‘restoration economy’ in the Commonwealth. This project will help towards that goal,” says Brad Guy, Hamer Center project coordinator.
The Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance is a research and outreach unit of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State. Its purpose is to provide education and technical assistance related to land use and transportation, community and economic development, the environment and quality of life. For more information, visit http://www.hamercenter.psu.edu/.
Contact: Kate Hoffman kah39@psu.edu or 814.863.2104