Made of recycled classrooms

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Summer 2002 by Harney, John O

When Middlebury College began replacing its old science center with a spanking new college library this spring, builders planned to recycle 98 percent of the old six-story building that even college officials had referred to as an "architectural mistake."

An onsite "crusher" is grinding the 35-yearold science center's 600 tons of concrete into project fill to be used for the new library construction and on roads. Limestone exterior walls will be salvaged for reuse, and copper, steel, aluminum, glass and wood will be recycled. Much of the center's old science equipment has already been donated to schools in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Middlebury in 2000 became the first U.S. college to adopt specific environmental policies on construction and demolition waste. College officials say the estimated $800,000 cost of recycling the science center is comparable to the cost of demolishing the building and shipping the waste to a landfill.

The $40 million, 135,000-squarefoot library is expected to open in the fall of 2004. - J.O.H.