WARREN, MI -
FOR RELEASE: September 13, 2001 Construction For GM's Warren Vehicle Engineering Center Uses Recycled Steel From Automobiles
WARREN, MI - The structural steel being used to construct the new General Motors Vehicle Engineering Center (VEC) is recycled from scrapped automobiles, bringing a sound environmental practice full cycle for the global transportation leader. The recycled steel for the new 960,000-sq. ft. eight-story tower at the Warren Technical Center in Southeast Michigan includes steel for beams, columns, joists and girders, studs, and metal deck.
The A572 reinforcing steel supplied by Nucor Corporation for the VEC is produced through an electric arc furnace process that uses virtually 100% recycled steel.
Nucor Corporation is the largest steel producer and recycler in the United States. Its own origins are with the automobile manufacturer -- Ransom E. Olds who founded Oldsmobile and then Reo Motor Cars, which through a series of transactions became Nuclear Corporation of America, and ultimately Nucor Corporation. The steel joists used in the construction of the VEC are supplied by Vulcraft, a Nucor affiliated company.
The Steel Recycling Institute (SRI) reports, "the steel industry recovered and recycled more than 14 million tons of shredded steel scrap from automobiles" in 2000 (www.recycle-steel.org). Comparing the annual tonnage of steel used to produce new automobiles with the tonnage recycled from old automobiles the same year, the recycling rate in 2000 was determined by the SRI to be 95%. The steel industry also notes that more steel is recycled each year than all other materials combined (www.steel.org).
In total, over 7,900 pieces of steel weighing 9,427 tons are being erected on the VEC tower, the highly visible feature in the redevelopment of the historic, award-winning Warren Tech Center campus, originally designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen nearly 50 years ago. The tower will join with an existing 1.2 million square foot podium facility that will be completely renovated. The estimated completion date for the VEC tower is November 2002, with the renovation of the existing VEC structure to continue into the fourth quarter of 2003.
Representing one of the most significant corporate facilities programs underway in the country, the program represents GM's investment in its future and its long-term commitment to redevelopment, sustainability, and its communities. GM VEC Uses Steel Recycled Steel from Automobiles.
Recycling and environmental stewardship have been strong criteria for the entire project. Over 7.7 million pounds of metal has been reclaimed from the demolition of the former Prototype Shop. Over 1,100 cubic yards of cement slab from the build shop were reground and used for the foundation of the new tower. Recycling also included all carpet fibers from the renovated buildings and all florescent light tubes.
Other recycled products that are incorporated into the VEC are 3.1 million pounds of reinforcing steel, over 1million square feet of metal decking, and sheet metal for HVAC ductwork.
Parsons Brinckerhoff Automotive of Warren, MI is serving as program manager for the Warren Campus Plan and construction manager for the VEC complex. General contractor for the VEC is Clark-Roncelli, a Joint Venture of The Clark Construction Group, Inc. of Chicago, IL/Bethesda, MD and Roncelli, Inc. of Sterling Heights, MI. ARCADIS Giffels of Southfield, MI is providing design construction administration services for the VEC and providing mechanical and electrical design for renovations to the existing podium portion of the project.
The design teams of San Francisco based Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz (KMD), Architects and Planners; Arup, Consulting Engineers, and Hargreaves Associates, Landscape Architect combined forces as the Master Design Team for the campus renovation master plan and design of the VEC project. HLW Strategies of New York provided strategic facilities planning services. Building Conservation Associates (BCA) of New York served as historic preservation consultant.