United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-00-001a
June 2000
www.epa.gov/osw
Bagley Downs
Apartments
Eugene, Oregon
73% Reduction of Construction and
Demolition Materials
Bagley Downs is a 30-unit apartment complex in Eugene, Oregon, that was
built using 32 apartment units slated for demolition by the University of Oregon. Due
to student opposition, a demand for affordable housing, and the recycling and reuse
experience of Saint Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Inc. (SVDP), the University of Oregon
donated four buildings from the apartment complex to the City of Eugene. SVDP moved
the structures to a new site and used them as the base for constructing eight new buildings.
During the project, over 112 tons of material were recovered (86 tons through reuse and
salvage and over 26 tons through recycling) and the city saved over $ 1 million.
Project Description
The Bagley Downs Apartments appear to
have nine lives. Originally constructed in
Vancouver, Washington, and moved to the
University of Oregon in the 1940s, these
apartments were saved from the wrecking ball
a second time. In 1990, the University of
Oregon planned to raze a 244-unit student
housing complex in order to build new
housing. A student coalition opposed the
demolition and requested that the
University renovate the units. Although the
University was unable to renovate the
complex, the city committed time, energy,
land, and funds to save 32 of the units
in order to address a city shortage
of affordable housing. The city has
an overall vacancy rate of less than
1%. With city funding, Saint Vincent
de Paul moved 32 of the units to a
new site and reconstructed them,
saving part of a community landmark.
Saint Vincent de Paul, which has an
extensive history in recycling
and reuse, considers moving housing
units as a logical next step in
reducing the amount of construction
and demolition materials going into
area landfills.
An experienced moving crew removed
asbestos and lead, appliances, cabinetry, and
exterior fire escapes from the buildings prior to
cutting four buildings (eight units each) in half.
The crew used jacks, cribbing, and house-
moving dollies to separate the buildings from
their foundations. Then the crew loaded the
buildings onto special trucks, which carried the
buildings to a staging (storage) area.
Once the new site was prepared, the
contractor transported the building halves to
the new site, removed them from the truck, and
placed them on new foundations. The
contractor used new materials to seal the ends
of the buildings. The new housing complex
contains eight buildings with 30 living units plus
laundry facilities. After the ends of the buildings
were enclosed, the contractor renovated the
buildings' interiors and painted the exteriors.
During building removal, 24 tons of wood
were ground into mulch; over 2 tons of metal,
including the fire escapes and appliances, were
Materials Collected
Recycled
miscellaneous metal (fire escapes,
appliances), and wood
Reused
strutsjoist, rafters, sub floor, floor stringers,
framing, exterior shingles, and plumbing
fixtures
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recycled; 2 tons of plumbing fixtures were
salvaged; and 42 tons of gypsum
wallboard, vinyl flooring, wood, and
shingles were landfilled.
Costs/Benefits
The Bagley Downs project not only
diverted over 112 tons of demolition
and construction materials, and supplied
the city with 30 additional affordable
housing units but also saved the University
of Oregon demolition costs and the city of
Eugene construction costs. The University
of Oregon, which was originally going to
demolish the structures, saved
Project Summary
Date Started Spring 1993
Date Completed Summer 1995
Project Square Footage 20,000
Total Waste Generated (Tons) 154.5
Disposed (Tons) 42.0
Total Materials Diverted (Tons) 112.5
Recycled 26.5
Reused/Salvaged 86.0
Total Materials Diverted 73%
Total Project Cost $1,250,000
Hauling and Disposal Costs ($/ton) $48
Costs of Moving Building and Materials
Diversion
Planning and Development $50,000
Labor ~ NA
Hauling and Tip Fees NA
Revenue/Savings from Moving Building and
Materials Diversion
Revenue from Materials Sales NA
Savings from Materials Reuse NA
Savings from Avoided Disposal $5,400
Estimated Cost of Demolition $40,000
Estimated Cost of Similar New Construction
$2,320,000
Savings from Moving Building and Materials
Diversion NA
Savings Per Square Foot from Moving
Building and Materials Diversion NA
Key: NA = not available.
Notes: Estimated cost of demolition refers to the
cost the University of Oregon would have incurred
for demolishing the 32 units that were moved. The
University of Oregon estimated the demolition cost
based on the cost of removal of the remaining
units. The estimated cost of construction refers to
the cost that the City of Eugene would have
incurred to construct a similar complex. SVDP
estimated the construction cost of 30 units based
on a $2.78 million, 36-unit apartment construction
project SVDP finished in 1998.
approximately $40,000 in demolition
costs and over $5,000 in avoided
disposal costs. A similar, new 30-unit
complex would have cost the city over
$2.3 million to construct. Therefore, by
reusing the structures, the community
saved $1.07 million in the construction
of affordable housing.
The overall project costs of $1.25
million included the removing,
transporting, and renovating the
complex. Planning and development
costs of $50,000 were spread across the
project and included creating
partnerships with the student
coalition, the University of
Oregon, the City of Eugene, and
Lane County. During building
removal, labor costs were
increased because it
took longer for crews to
move the units than it
would have taken demolition crews to raze
them. Equipment costs, however, were
similar to those of demolition since large
trucks were necessary to move the
structures. Hauling and tip fees for
recyclables totalled $48 per ton and a local
salvage operation removed and hauled
salvageable materials at no cost.
During the construction phase, labor
costs were greatly reduced by avoiding the
need to construct a large portion of the
buildings. The cost of using large trucks
while moving the buildings was slightly
higher than the equipment costs of new
construction. The largest savings for the
city resulted from the reuse of the
structures and their components.
Tips for Replication
• Carefully plan the project and
coordinate with all participants.
• Watch project costs carefully.
• Work to develop collaborative
partnerships among the client/developer,
contractor, community, and other involved
parties.
• Encourage community participation
and seek public support.
• Allot enough time for project
completion.
fortl
• Use experienced building movers in
order to decrease time and cost.
Client/Developer:
St. Vincent de Paul
705 S. Seneca
P.O. Box 24608
Eugene, Oregon 97402
Contact: Anne Williams (Housing Programs
Director)
Phone: 541-687-5820 Fax: 541-683-9423
Web site: http://www.svdplanecounty.org
Architect
Donald H.Micken
1948 Olive
Eugene, Oregon 97405
Contact: Don H.Micken (Staff Architect)
Phone: 541-343-1990
General Contractor
2G Construction
1719 Irving Road
Eugene, Oregon 97402
Contact: David Coleman (Project Manager)
Phone: 541-689-3850 Fax: 541-689-3915
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