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Seven Skanska projects that highlight the importance of sustainable water management

Water is a critical resource for the environment, and it’s something that’s relied on to power our everyday life. Here are several Skanska projects that focus on sustainable water management and provide cleaner, safer water for our communities.

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The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design
Atlanta, Georgia

As the first building in Georgia to earn Living Building Challenge certification, the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is a pioneering example of efficient water use. The building, which was formerly a parking lot, acts like a forest by infiltrating into the ground approximately 15 times more water than needed for operations each year.

A few standout water features of this project include:

  • Stormwater is mitigated via a 50,000-gallon cistern that stores rainfall and slowly releases excess water into the ground.
  • Greywater is pumped to a constructed wetland at the building’s entrance where natural processes improve water quality. Instead of going into the sewer, the treated greywater infiltrates the soil to recharge groundwater.
  • The building’s 12 foam flush toilets and four waterless urinals combined use less water than one typical low‐flow toilet.
  • A composting toilet system converts solids and liquids into fertilizer onsite. The system does not connect to the sewer.   

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Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant
Bronx, New York

Our work at Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has advanced a vital public project for The Bronx and the surrounding Metro New York region.

Every day, wastewater treatment plants help control pollution by removing contaminants and suspended solids from wastewater. These facilities protect people, as well as local ecosystems, from toxic elements found in wastewater.

Four new silo digesters and support facilities are being constructed. Once complete, the site will reduce operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions while improving economic, environmental and social sustainability of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s operation.

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LaGuardia Airport Terminal B 
Queens, New York

 

On our LaGuardia Airport Terminal B Replacement project, our team devised a way to reduce potable water consumption during construction by reusing effluent from the onsite water treatment facility. 

 

Typically, groundwater and stormwater pumped from an excavation is treated through the water treatment plant and discharged into Flushing Bay by way of a local storm drain. Our team installed valve controls so that the effluent leaving the treatment plant was diverted into a holding tank to supply flow fill production in lieu of tapping a local hydrant of potable water.  

 

Not only did this initiative reduce the amount of effluent entering Flushing Bay, it reduced the amount of potable water consumed from the public water supply during construction.  

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Wake Tech Central Energy Plant
Raleigh, NC

Our team recently finished constructing a 15,700 square-foot central energy plant as the inaugural building on Wake Tech Community College’s new 106-acre Eastern Wake 4.0 campus. The new central energy plant will provide heating hot water and chilled water to the entire campus.

As one of the largest geothermal well installations in the Southeast, Wake Tech’s Central Energy Plant includes a variety of sustainable features:

  • 297 wells that are 500 feet deep, totaling approximately 28 miles of wells and 56 miles of vertical piping. Geothermal wells use one-third of the energy and emit 50 percent less carbon than a traditional boiler/chiller system.
  • 283 high efficiency solar panels on the roof, which are capable of producing 160,956 kilowatt hours per year. This is enough solar energy to power 15 homes per year.
  • A heating hot water temperature for the mechanical system that will run at a maximum of 105 degrees, instead of the standard 120+ degrees, to limit the energy required to heat the hot water for the mechanical system.

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Civic Park at Hemisfair
San Antonio, Texas

Civic Park at Hemisfair, a $27 million world-class park project, features a water re-use system that showcases water self-sufficiency on a new scale, especially for a water-stressed state like Texas.

Hemisfair is collecting nuisance water under the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center by a sump pump. The sump pump collects nuisance water both from around the perimeter of the center’s basement and air conditioning condensation that would typically flow off into the city’s storm collection system.

The water is collected into a 40,608-gallon underground cistern that distributes the water to either be used for irrigation—watering the nine-acre park’s 200 trees, grass, and shrubs—or for the park’s eight water features.

The water flow averages about 28 gallons per minute, and after it is collected, it is filtered to remove particles greater than five microns.

Water that comes from the system destined for the water features goes to a filtration room located under the park, where it will be brought up to near swimming pool quality through sand filters and the addition of chemicals and UV light.

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North Coast Corridor
San Diego, California

Along with highway and rail improvements, the North Coast Corridor Program in North County San Diego includes over $200 million to preserve, enhance and protect coastal habitats in the corridor.

The program created several hundred acres of preserved coastal habitat. Additionally, it improved the health of six coastal lagoons, and provided new and improved ways to reach the beach.

As aging rail and highway bridges are replaced with modern structures, the new designs feature longer spans with fewer piers in the water. The smaller footprint of these bridges improves tidal flow in many of the lagoons, resulting in better water quality and healthier coastal environments.

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I-405/Brickyard to SR 527
Bothell, Washington

As part of the I-405/Brickyard to SR 527 Improvement project for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Skanska is building six fish passages that will have a direct impact on salmon and steelhead in the Sammamish River. This will allow more fish at all live stages—including juveniles who aren't yet strong swimmers like adults—to access important spawning and rearing grounds, including areas that have been inaccessible for years.

Through innovative design, our team has identified opportunities for a 10 percent reduction in the total length of the fish passages needing to be built. Implementing their design creates additional open channels, promoting natural habitat and reducing impact to the stream buffer.

Our team is also eliminating the use of barges and temporary structures in the Sammamish River through controlled demolition. Both physical barriers and debris netting will keep debris and slurry out of the river, and pre-casting, pre-fabricating and pre-painting elements will be placed over water to reduce construction time and risk to the Sammamish River.


Learn more about Skanska’s sustainability journey here.