Playa Vista Reclaims Nearly 46,000 Tons from Hughes Plant Site, Enough to Stretch from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and Back

Business Wire, Nov 3, 1998

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 1998--

Recovered Concrete and Steel to Be Recycled Into Roads

and New Building Frames

Playa Vista President Peter Denniston Monday announced that Playa Vista has recovered nearly 46,000 tons (92 million pounds) of recyclable material in the course of deconstructing buildings at the old Hughes Aircraft plant site to make way for a new studio complex, which is expected to include DreamWorks SKG.

The recovered material will be reused both within Playa Vista and off site.

Denniston said that through the end of September, Playa Vista had recycled more than 5,700 tons of scrap metal, 35,365 tons of concrete, 4,800 tons of wood and mixed materials, and 4,000 tons of green waste. Playa Vista has recovered nearly 90 percent of the materials from decommissioned buildings.

"We are proud of our results so far, not only in the recovery of reusable materials, but in the planning and preparation for their reuse," said Denniston. "By recycling 70 million pounds of concrete for use in road base and building foundations at Playa Vista, we saved 2,000 truck trips to local landfills.

"The 11 million pounds of steel recycled so far at Playa Vista, which will be used for building frames, sheet steel and concrete reinforcement, would make almost 6,000 automobiles."

Recycling at Playa Vista has saved more than 15,000 cubic yard bins of material from going into landfills. This is enough material to cover 52 football fields to a depth of three feet, or create a pile a yard high and a yard wide from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and back again.

"The mulch derived from the 8 million pounds of green waste generated at Playa Vista is already being used in California agriculture for moisture and soil retention," added Denniston. "Playa Vista's recovery rate for recyclable materials demonstrates our continuing commitment to keeping our promises of environmental sensitivity to the community."

Deconstruction of the Hughes Plant site buildings is expected to be completed by early December. The remaining 11 former Hughes buildings, including the huge hangar in which Howard Hughes built his flying boat (the "Spruce Goose"), will be refurbished and incorporated into the Campus at Playa Vista, a new entertainment, media and technology complex.

Playa Vista is taking shape south of Marina del Rey. The project is being developed on a 1,087-acre site, and has been widely praised as a model of modern urban planning in its incorporation of a broad range of forward-thinking planning and environmental initiatives.

It will include a mix of residential housing from affordable to luxury, plus office and commercial space, an entertainment, new media and technology campus, with open spaces and recreational amenities, all set next to a restored wetland and wildlife preserve.

More than half of the project will be devoted to open space, including the restoration of the Ballona Wetlands. This restoration will improve habitat for many species of flora and fauna, and, during the first phase of development, create a freshwater marsh and restore a portion of Centinela Creek along the Westchester bluffs to a natural state.

Playa Vista Phase One, which is fully entitled, will provide up to 3,246 new residences in an array of housing types and will create thousands of jobs. Playa Vista is also sponsoring PVJOBS, a program that matches disadvantaged local youths with construction jobs at the project.

NOTES TO EDITORS: Dramatic visuals of recovered materials are available for either stand-ups or photos. See the "Fun Facts About Playa Vista's Recycling Program at the Former Hughes Aircraft Co. Plant Site" below. -0-

        Fun Fact About Playa Vista's Recycling Program at the
                Former Hughes Aircraft Co. Plant Site

Playa Vista is decommissioning the former Hughes Aircraft plant site
in a manner consistent with its guiding philosophy -- sustainable
development.

Sustainable development means limiting the impact on natural resources
by (among other methods) reclaiming and recycling previously used
materials.

-- Playa Vista has recovered approximately 46,000 tons (92 million
   pounds) of recyclable material, mostly scrap metal, wood and
   concrete, and 4,000 tons of green waste.

   -- The green waste was turned into mulch for California
      agriculture to enhance moisture retention and battle soil
      erosion.

-- Recovery of recyclable material has saved about 2,000 truck trips
   to area landfills.

   -- The reclaimed material -- which would fill 15,295 cubic yard
      bins -- would cover 52 football fields in a layer three-feet
      deep.

-- If made into a pile one yard high and one yard wide, it would
   stretch from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and back.

   -- Enough metal has been recovered -- more than 5,700 tons -- to
      make almost 6,000 automobiles, or more than 33 million tin cans.

-- The scrap metal will be recycled into new construction materials
   for Playa Vista and similar projects, including sheet steel, I-beam
   steel for building frames and re-bars for concrete reinforcement.

   -- Playa Vista has recovered enough concrete -- 35,365 tons -- for
      more than nine miles of road.  The concrete will be recycled
      on-site for use at Playa Vista as road base, foundation base
      and fill.

-- Playa Vista has recovered and will recycle nearly 90 percent of all
   deconstructed materials at the Hughes site.