Sustaining Steel with Zinc (Hot-Dip Galvanizing)
There are three primary tenants of hot-dip galvanized steel’s sustainability. HDG is made from natural, abundant elements (steel and zinc), which are infinitely recyclable, and when combined provide decades of maintenance-free longevity – minimizing environmental and economic impacts over the life of the product.
We will examine each of these tenants in more detail throughout this presentation. But first, let's take a look at a couple of Case Studies that use hot-dip galvanized steel in a sustainable way.
San Diego Central Library: San Diego, CA; 2013
San Diego's Central Library opened its doors to the general public on September 28, 2013. The $184.9 million facility is located in downtown's East Village with beautiful views across the bay to Coronado Island. Completion of the new library was much anticipated and gained overwhelming community support for construction of the project. The dome structure has become a proud architectural achievement for the city.
When in the initial design phase, the foremost concern was how to design the new facility to withstand the corrosive marine environment while maintaining an overall image of great opulence which reflects the lofty status of this world-renowned city. Durable and virtually maintenance-free, coupled with a record of outstanding sustainability, hot-dip galvanized steel was specified and used to construct the outside façade of the building, including the magnificent 3-story arched domed terrace.
Incredibly, not a penny of construction money for the new facility would be allocated from the city’s general fund or city-issued bonds. Instead, a novel funding plan was pooled together using California redevelopment funds,state grants, complex multi-tiered rental agreements with the San Diego School District, and more $75 million in local private donations. In total, 40% of the project’s cost was donated by more than 3,000 private individuals. The private donations were a record for the funding of a public works project of this kind.
Hot-dip galvanized steel is prominently displayed on both the interior and exterior of this structure, adding a final appearance of character and distinction to the librarys hip, ultramodern aesthetics.