Brownfield Site in St. Louis is Transformed Using MonoShield
Case study highlights:
- Green Street Real Estate Ventures (Green Street), a leading commercial real estate development company based in St. Louis, partnered with environmental consultant ATON Environmental to assess and mitigate the environmental concerns.
- MonoShield® was applied at a former St. Louis manufacturing site to effectively mitigate contaminant vapor intrusion.
- The new River City Business Park is poised to bring jobs, innovation, and sustained economic growth to the community.
In 2009, the Green Street-led development team entered the site into Missouri’s Brownfield Development Program, a move that provided economic incentives to offset some of the site’s significant restoration costs, which included remediating impacted soil and groundwater and raising the building grounds above the river flood plain. Upon entering the program, site remediation commenced to address the contamination. Over time, the site remediation requirements were met, earning a Certificate of Completion issued by the MDNR for all groundwater monitoring. With the Certificate in hand, the project team moved forward with the development. The new River City Business Park would include four large buildings covering an area of 585,000 square feet. The modern, environmentally sustainable, and flexible building plan accommodates diverse uses, offering spaces for office work, light industrial manufacturing, tech ingenuity, and warehousing.
Cross-Team Collaboration Moves New Public Library and Town Hall Complex Forward
Case study highlights:
- Former gasoline station transformed into library and town hall complex
- Collaboration between environmental teams eliminates potential exposure
- Threat of vapor intrusion effectively mitigated with Nitra-Seal to enable use of former gas station site
A growing community near Charlotte, North Carolina was seeking a site to construct a new town hall and public library complex. SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, P.C. (SUMMIT) conducted an environmental assessment at the property in April 2020, confirming that petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination was present. SUMMIT recommended installing a vapor intrusion mitigation system (VIMS) to the property development team, knowing it would be the most effective approach to address PHC contaminant vapors. In considering their options, Nitra-Seal, a state-of-the-art VIMS offering proven chemical resistance and vapor intrusion protection, was selected by the development team.
A Vacant Brownfield Is Transformed On The Atlanta Beltline
Case study highlights:
- Following years of investigation and assessment, an environmental covenant (EC) was placed on the property to restrict future residential development.
- United Consulting, an Atlanta-based, engineering consulting firm, was engaged by the property owner to address the environmental concerns and provide a vapor intrusion mitigation (VIM) solution which would allow the development to move forward.
- In recognition of their effort, the American Council of Engineering Companies presented United Consulting the Engineering Excellence Award – Environmental Category for 2019.
The Edge™ on The BeltLine is a visionary, mixed-use brownfield redevelopment sitting on approximately 4.5-acres of land along a new section of the Atlanta Beltline, located between Edgewood Avenue and DeKalb Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. The development comprises 350 multifamily units, including workforce and affordable units, 20,000 square feet of retail space, and 10,000 square feet of office space. Tucked between two unique neighborhoods in Atlanta – Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park – the development has transformed blighted, environmentally-distressed parcels into a living, breathing neighborhood within one of Atlanta’s most vibrant arts and cultural districts. The Edge development encompasses a former industrial zone that sat vacant for decades and once included a railroad line, dry-cleaning plant, metals recycling facility, and a former roadway. Spills of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) historically used impacted soil and groundwater, leaving behind VOC vapors in the soil.
TerraShield Assists Development in Sacramento’s Downtown
Project snapshot highlights:
- Innovative Vapor Barrier Chosen for Electrical Substation as Safest, Most Cost-Effective Solution
- Timely and Cost-Efficient Application Allows Development to Proceed
- Innovative, Nitrile-Advanced Core Quickly and Effectively Seals Utility Penetrations and Terminations
Sacramento is experiencing a renaissance, with a metropolitan area that has grown to include over 2.5 million people. As the city continues to grow and change, the downtown Sacramento area is evolving rapidly with many new buildings in various construction stages. Roebbelen Contracting, Inc., a leading Northern California based contracting and construction firm, was engaged by their client to build an electrical substation in the downtown area. The substation development included the need for a contaminant vapor barrier system due to past heavy industrial land usage. Keeping pace with the latest vapor mitigation innovations, the environmental consultant, working with their client, recommended Land Science’s TerraShield® based on it having demonstrated 100 times more chemical resistance than other vapor barrier systems.
TerraShield Installed at New, State-of-the-Art Aquatic Research and Education Center
Project snapshot highlights:
- Volatile Organic Contaminants
- State-of-the-Art Research and Education Center
- 8,500 Square Feet Installed
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior State University (LSSU) is constructing a $14.5 million expansion that will house its state-of-the-art Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE). When completed, the CFRE building will include freshwater testing laboratories, classrooms, an aquatic learning center, and an expansion of LSSU’s internationally-renowned fish hatchery. The new building is being constructed in an area of past spills of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), posing a potential vapor intrusion risk. Assessing the risk and the options to mitigate it, the project team opted to install TerraShield® with a TerraVent® passive venting system. Terrashield was determined to be the vapor mitigation solution providing the highest level of protection at a competitive cost and offering superior installation efficiencies as compared to alternative vapor intrusion mitigation approaches.
A Growing Manufacturing Company Brings New Jobs to Lansing Area following Retro-Coat Treatment
Project snapshot highlights:
- Retro-Coat Allows Repurposed Industrial Building to Create Jobs in Michigan Community
- 140,000 Square Feet Manufacturing Facility Successfully Treated
A growing manufacturer looking to expand its operations purchased a vacant industrial facility in Lansing, Michigan, where chlorinated solvents were used and spilled into the subsurface. The environmental consultant was asked to address the suspected vapor intrusion concerns resulting from the former industrial operations. In working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE), the consultant proposed utilizing the Retro-Coat® Vapor Intrusion Coating System, in combination with passive venting, to ensure safe indoor air for the future workers. EGLE approved the vapor mitigation approach to address the potential indoor air concerns. The Retro-Coat installation was sequentially phased in accordance to the construction schedule, where the Certified Applicator worked closely with the general contractor and the consultant to meet project expectations and deadlines. Since the Retro-Coat system will act as the wearing surface at this facility, the Retro-Coat Top WB topcoat was also applied to maintain the desired aesthetic of the building owner. Following the Retro-Coat and passive venting system’s successful application, the potential exposure pathway has been mitigated, and the site is eligible for restricted site closure designation by EGLE.
TerraShield Protects Future Occupants from Harmful Vapor Intrusion
Case study highlights:
- TerraShield was considered the safest and most effective choice to protect against the high levels of vapor contaminants found onsite
- The installation of TerraShield eliminated potential health risks for future onsite employees posed by the hazardous vapor intrusion exposure from the TCE and PAH contaminants
- TerraVent, a low-profile trenchless vapor collection system, was installed on this site
A large automotive and supply company planned to build its new corporate headquarters on a 4.5-acre brownfield site recently acquired in Southfield, MI. Soil and groundwater sampling on the property revealed the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). TCE was also identified in soil gas beneath the site. Within the footprint of the planned building itself, contaminant concentrations were found to be in excess of applicable indoor air quality screening levels. The developer utilized brownfield funding from the local authority to conduct the necessary environmental remediation measures.
Nitra-Seal Ensures Long Term Vapor Intrusion Protection for Quick Service Restaurant
Case study highlights:
- Quick service retail restaurant required an effective preemptive vapor mitigation solution to protect future employees and customers from potential vapor intrusion risks
- The project development team determined Nitra-Seal was the safest, most expedient and cost-effective vapor barrier system to install on this site
- Land Science Certified Applicator S&H Waterproofing and Construction, installed Nitra-Seal and performed smoke testing as part of the quality control process to confirm proper installation of the barrier
This project development site is a newly opened quick-service restaurant in Conyers, Georgia. Offsite chemical spills from historical operations had resulted in low-level volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released to the subsurface, creating a potential for vapors to intrude into new buildings constructed in the affected area. Recognizing the risk and placing emphasis on future workers’ safety, the forward-thinking client decided that a preemptive measure be instituted, requiring the installation of a vapor mitigation system as part of the construction specification.
Ease of Installation Saves Time and Money for Preemptive Solution To Mitigate Potential Gasoline Vapors
Project snapshot highlights:
- Nitra-Seal protects future restaurant workers and guests
- Former Gas Station
Property developers for a national restaurant chain planned a new restaurant building on an old gas station in Galveston, Texas. It is common practice in the retail restaurant industry that when confronted with building a restaurant on a former gas station, the property developers will specify a vapor mitigation system (VMS) into the construction plan. The VMS serves as a preemptive measure to address gasoline contaminants that might have escaped detection during the site closure process. In these instances, the property developers require that the vapor mitigation system installation be completed efficiently and at a competitive cost while providing comparable or better chemical resistance. After evaluating VMS options, the property development team specified Nitra-Seal as the technology best suited for this purpose. According to the Land Science certified applicator, in comparing their experience installing generic styrene-butadiene-rubber asphalt emulsions, Nitra-Seal’s spray-applied nitrile-advanced asphalt latex core material was easier to apply and cured more rapidly. This saved time and money for the VMS installation, improving the project’s overall construction efficiency, and enabling the restaurant to proceed toward its opening.
Nitra-Seal Ensures Worker Safety For New Office Campus
Project snapshot highlights:
- New Office Campus in Pennsylvania
- Site-Specific Design for Unique Foundation Layout
- 16,000 Square Feet Installed
An established, construction services company was developing a new corporate campus on a former industrial manufacturing site where chemical degreasing agents were used. Prior to the building’s planned construction, an investigation was conducted, identifying chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the subsurface. Based on the investigation results, the project stakeholders specified the installation of a vapor mitigation system to address the potential VOC vapor intrusion risk to future building occupants. The consultant and their client were familiar with Land Science’s full suite of vapor barrier systems and had installed their vapor mitigation technologies at other building sites in the past. The team specified Nitra-Seal® for this project based on its top-performing chemical resistance and installation efficiencies compared to other spray-applied barrier systems considered. The building’s unique foundation layout required a nuanced approach and site-specific design support from the Land Science team. The Land Science Certified Applicator installed the Nitra-Seal vapor mitigation system efficiently and according to specifications, allowing the new office campus construction to proceed without delay.