RENO CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTS INNOVATIVE GREEN CONSTRUCTION TRAILER

Reno Contracting is proud to announce the completion of a first-of-its-kind LEED® Certified construction trailer. Located on the project job site of the parking structure that Reno is building for Kaiser Permanente in Anaheim, the trailer will serve as the operations offices for the Reno On-Site Team.

'We had been planning on building a ‘Green Construction Trailer' for a while, but the process was really kicked into gear when we mentioned the idea to Kaiser," explained Reno President Walt Fegley ."We saw it as a logical extension for their LEED® certified Parking Structure and to our growing portfolio of LEED projects. Together with the design teams of mechanical engineering firm Xnth, Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, as well as our subcontractors and vendors, we went to work to make it happen."

Material Reuse and Green Construction Materials

The frame and exterior walls of the trailer were salvaged from an old trailer and reused as part of the new one. This kept the project from requiring new steel and wood framing. Likewise, many of the building products used in the trailer contain recycled or reclaimed materials. For example, carpet tiles were made from recycled rubber tires. Wall and ceiling insulation was composed of cotton from shredded denim jeans. Wall paneling was made from recycled HDPE piping products, and countertops were fabricated with crushed recycled glass.

Other considerations were given to indoor air quality, natural lighting and energy consumption. In order to keep dust from contaminating the HVAC system during construction, the mechanical unit and new ductwork were sheeted over in plastic. Also, the adhesives used in the new casework and the paint applied to the accent walls have extremely low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). This insures that the air inside the trailer is always of the highest quality. Through the use of large storefront style windows and a reflective interior light shelf, trailer occupants will have high levels of direct and indirect natural light.

The HVAC and lighting systems have been designed and constructed to minimize the amount of energy that the trailer uses. This includes utilizing fluorescent lighting and lighting control sensors throughout the trailer, as well as windows that feature an operable function which allows for outside air to easily circulate throughout the trailer, minimizing the need for the use of the mechanical AC unit.

Reno Contracting and Kaiser Permanente are extremely excited about the success of the new LEED® Certified job trailer and hope that it sets a high standard of sustainable construction for the Kaiser Anaheim facility and other future projects. The expected LEED rating for the Trailer is “Certified for Version 2.2 for New Construction”. The trailer is expected to be certified by October 2009.