New Construction Technologies Boost the Green Bottom Line

Rehbein Environmental Solutions' New Construction Technologies Boost the Green

By Robyn Rehbein
Vice President Sales,
Rehbein Environmental Solutions, Inc.

Increasing, shifting and migrating populations, along with the supporting development that accompany them are depleting our natural resources, while polluting our air and water. Over the past 50 years, developers have had to learn how to design projects to work within the bounds of available resources. For example, in wetter climates the use of retention ponds reduces the flow of water into public sources, decreasing the flooding, and pollution of our lakes and rivers. However, stormwater ponds use valuable land, create breeding grounds for disease carrying mosquitoes, and they are a safety hazard, especially when children are involved.

In dry climates, the limited availability and high cost of water has resulted in less and less green space in new developments. While attempting to conserve water, we have created new problems, including urbanization, uncontrolled runoff, heat island effects, decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide.

Rehbein Environmental Solutions, Inc. (RESI) uses new, innovative construction methods to address the lack of resource availability while minimizing the impact of development.

When involved with the building of the new headquarters for Cummins NPower in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, we provided a unique design for stormwater source control with the use of 10,000 sq. ft. Netlon Advanced Turf (NAT) infiltration basins in lieu of a traditional retention pond. The NAT infiltration basins are the parking lot islands, which were placed at grade and allow stormwater sheet flow of a 2.3-acre sub-watershed. These basins collect stormwater run-off from the front of the building and parking lot. They are mostly impervious and drain into the storm sewer system. The NAT infiltration basins provide stormwater pre-treatment, infiltration, and rate control prior to discharge into the storm sewer system, as required by the city and watershed. All runoff directed to these two areas has infiltrated into the native sandy soils and no water has entered the city storm sewer system. Decreased pollution and increased land available for development resulted from this innovative design.

Bookmen Stacks is a new 10-story residential lofts development in downtown Minneapolis. The owner wished to provide a beautiful green park area for the new residents, and had Rehbein Environmental Solutions install an 8750 square foot green roof over the garage. Like all new developments, the roof has very sensitive weight restrictions. RESI used their MUELLNERŠ Green Roof System to reduce the weight of a traditional 12" sand profile by over 40% and provide an efficient stormwater management tool that can support pedestrian traffic and use.

To make the area useful for a park area, the use of Netlon Advanced Turf mesh elements in the grass allows traffic on the turf without damaging the grass. The use of grass provides insulation and increases the life of the roof, while increasing oxygen production and reducing carbon dioxide.

Additionally, the use of the Environmental Passive Integrated Chamber (EPIC) System saves over 50% in typical water usage and provides sub-surface irrigation for the turf. Shut-off floats can minimize the loss of water from the system. In addition, EPIC eliminates or reduces the risk of building stains and wind effects on irrigation patterns. Since the grass is never wet, it is safer and can be mowed and maintained at anytime.

At Rehbein Environmental Solutions, Inc., we understand the importance of innovative solutions in solving out clients needs. In developing design solutions, we consider the total return for our clients in four distinct areas: financial, functional, environmental, and social impact. We call this total return the "Green Bottom Line."