by jbs072209e3 — July 24, 2009—The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is using recycled natural gas pipe as weight-bearing columns in its new Research Support Facilities (RSF) as part of NREL’s effort to create the most energy efficient and “green” office building possible.
The RSF is under construction at NREL’s South Table Mountain Campus near Golden, Colorado. It was designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and its energy-saving features will be shared with, and hopefully replicated by, commercial builders across the country.
The steel natural gas pipe used in the RSF was purchased from a company that specializes in salvaging gas piping that has been removed from service. In this case, the RSF gas pipe was never used. Recycled steel reportedly stays strong and can be purchased at a very competitive price.
The reclaimed pipes, which average 33 feet in height, passed extensive tests to ensure they met structural strength and welding requirements, but the design team decided to go the extra step to reinforce the pipe by filling it with concrete on the bottom two to three floors to help carry the building loads.
However, the steel tubes are still hollow in the upper floors of the building and will be seen from the interior as columns in various areas of the RSF. They will be coated with a clear, environmentally safe finish typically used inside ships to coat ballast tanks. The coating can be used in interior spaces and meets EPA requirements for an environmentally sensitive product.
Haselden Construction and RNL are building the 218,000-square-foot facility, which will provide DOE-owned work space for administrative staff who currently occupy leased space in the nearby Denver West Office Park. Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2010.
