Guthrie Green awarded 2013 Brownfield Renewal Award
Award recognizes projects nationally that revitalize former industrial/commercial properties
TULSA, Okla. – Brownfield Renewal magazine recently awarded the 2013 Brownfield Renewal Award for Brownfields for Energy to Guthrie Green in Tulsa. The award honors projects that represent the gold standard of brownfield redevelopment across three distinct industry spheres of influence, including environmental impacts, economic impacts and social impacts.
“We are honored to be given the Brownfield Renewal Award,” said Stanton Doyle, senior program officer at George Kaiser Family Foundation. “Reclaiming former industrial sites to allow for public use is critical to revitalizing Tulsa. Oklahoma is fortunate to have the expertise and the resources to overcome a legacy of industrial use to make projects like Guthrie Green possible. Hopefully, this award will encourage the development of other such sites to continue to make Tulsa a better place.”
The Guthrie Green project includes the transformation of a 2.7 acre brownfield into a dynamic green community park with gardens, interactive fountains, an outdoor stage with vine-covered “green rooms,” a multi-purpose lawn for performances and festivals and a café pavilion. Located in Tulsa’s historic Brady Arts District, Guthrie Green delivers special events, activities and music that showcase a diverse combination of local, regional and national acts. The site was previously the home to a variety of industrial and commercial uses including Vinson Supply, DX, and, most recently, Central Freight.
One of the more innovative and “green” uses of Guthrie Green hides just below the park’s surface. Guthrie Green utilizes an innovative ground source heat pump energy system that includes 120 wells drilled to 500-foot depths. These wells take advantage of the constant year-round temperature of about 50 F that is just a few feet below the ground’s surface. The wells provide 600 tons of heating and cooling, which is distributed via underground pipes to the neighboring Tulsa Paper Company building and the Hardesty Visual Arts Center, reducing their heating and cooling costs by approximately 60 percent.
“The Guthrie Green returned an existing, unsafe and contaminated downtown eye sore into a vibrant urban get away that is also a showcase of ‘green’ technology,” said Manhattan Construction Project Manager Levi Frost, who oversaw the project. “All lighting on the site is LED, reducing the overall site demand for electricity. Water runoff on the site is diverted to bio-swales, which help irrigate the landscape and clean the water before it enters the storm sewer. Solar panels on the roof of The Pavilion contribute to the overall energy demands of the park amenities.”
The geothermal field was developed with a $2.5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Demand Reduction grant and a $200,000 Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Brownfield Development grant.
“George Kaiser Family Foundation has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and dedication to the City of Tulsa for many years,” said Oklahoma DEQ Brownfields Program Manager Lloyd Kirk. “The recent completion and development of Guthrie Green will become a model for other communities as an example of how redevelopment, reuse and renewable technology can be applied to create a vibrant downtown park.”
To learn more about the 2013 Brownfield Renewal Awards winners, visit http://www.brownfieldrenewal.com/pr2013.php#nominees.
About the Guthrie Green
The Guthrie Green project includes the transformation of a 2.7 acre brownfield* into a dynamic green community park with gardens, interactive fountains, an outdoor stage with vine covered “green rooms,” a multi-purpose lawn for performances and festivals and a café pavilion.
The project team returned an existing, unsafe and contaminated downtown eye sore at 11 E. Brady Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma into a vibrant urban get away that is also a showcase of “green” technology.
*What is a brownfield?
A brownfield is land previously used for industrial purposes or some commercial uses. The land may be contaminated by low concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution, and has the potential to be reused once it is cleaned up.
About The Site Clean-up:
- Prior to construction there were two rusting fuel tanks identified for removal.
- During construction a total of 12 rusting tanks were discovered.
- The tanks and their contents were removed, yielding a total of 35,000 gallons of fluid
- total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination.
- 90 cubic yards of TPH impacted soil was removed and disposed.
- 95 tons of contaminated tank fill sand was removed and disposed.
- Total remediation cost was approximately $170,000.00.
About Guthrie Green’s Ground Source Heat Pump Energy System:
- 120 wells grouped in 15 circuits drilled approximately 500 feet deep.
- Crews spent 45 working days for excavation and core drilling for the wells.
- System provides 600 tons of heating and cooling, which is distributed via underground pipes, to the buildings they serve.
- Projected energy savings is approximately 60% than a traditional system.
Other Green Features:
- All lighting on the site is LED, reducing the overall site demand for electricity.
- Water runoff on the site is diverted to bio-swales, which help irrigate the landscape and
- clean the water before it enters the storm sewer.
- Solar panels on the roof of The Pavilion contribute to the overall energy demands of the
- park amenities.
About the Project’s Grants:
- $2,580,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Energy Demand
- Reduction grant from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
- $200,000 ARRA petroleum sub-grand from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental
- Quality Brownfield Program.
- The combined total of private and public funds covered the project cost of $12,580,000.
Project Honors:
- 2013 Brownfield Renewal Award – Brownfields For Energy category
- 2012 ABC Excellence in Construction Award Infrastructure/Heavy Park category- Associated Builders & Contractors of Oklahoma
Project Team:
Site Owner: George Kaiser Family Foundation
Owner’s Representative: Stonebridge Group
Construction Manager: Manhattan Construction Company
Remediation Documentation Process: Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
Architectural Design: Kinslow, Keith and Todd (KKT)
Theater Design: Schuler Shook
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Design: Flynt & Kallenberger
Civil & Structural Engineering: Wallace Engineering
Landscape Design: SWA Group
About George Kaiser Family Foundation
George Kaiser Family Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, GKFF works primarily on initiatives developed in collaboration with Tulsa-based direct service organizations. For more information about George Kaiser Family Foundation, visit www.gkff.org.
About Manhattan Construction
When Laurence H. Rooney founded what is now Manhattan Construction Group in Oklahoma Territory in 1896, he built his business and reputation for trustworthiness and dependability through consistent performance. These same timeless values have enabled Manhattan to grow and prosper into one of the most respected construction firms in the nation. The firm’s operating companies are Manhattan Construction Co., Cantera Concrete Co. and Manhattan Road & Bridge. Manhattan is recognized by Engineering News-Record as a top green builder, general builder and bridge builder in the nation. In the last two years Manhattan has received 40+ industry honors for quality and safety. The company’s services include Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, design-build and turn-key projects, and roads, bridges and civil works. The company works in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. www.manhattanconstructiongroup.com
About Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
The mission of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is to enhance the quality of life in Oklahoma and protect the health of its citizens by protecting, preserving and restoring the water, land and air of the state, thus fostering a clean, attractive, healthy, prosperous and sustainable environment. For more information, please visit www.deq.state.ok.us.