BROWNFIELDS

I.

INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A BROWNFIELD?
In urban planning, a brownfield site (or simply 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.
According to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601) the definition of a BROWNFIELD SITE is: In general
the term "brownfield site" means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of
which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance,
pollutant, or contaminant.

Muncie Brownfield Project

(http://157.91.22.196/DCGIS/munciebrownf
ields/index.html)

A brownfield by a small creek on the property

of the old Standard Chlorine factory on the
Hackensack River, April 20, 2004.

Brownfields may make you think of dirty, blighted, abandoned industrial property, but
that image is too narrow. Though some brownfields are old industrial sites, others are
commercial buildings with little or no environmental contamination. Brownfields could be:

former service stations

dry cleaners

factories and warehouses

parking lots

lots where heavy machinery was stored or repaired

abandoned railroads

former railroad switching yards

air strips

bus facilities

landfills

Many of these brownfields could be turned from possible liabilities into successful
developments.
DAMAGED SITES

Brownfields are sites damaged by previous

building or industrial activities. These sites may
require extensive remediation to remove toxins such
as lead, asbestos, gasoline, diesel, motor oil,
pesticides and a host of other environmental
contaminants.
The contaminants may be found in the soil,
sediments and sludge (accumulation of dirty oil). They may also be found in groundwater,
surface water and leachate (liquid runoff from dumps seeping untreated into groundwater).
Damage may also be caused by drainage for farming or decades of overgrazing by livestock.

II.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

TYPES OF BROWNFIELDS
1. Oil and Petroleum facilities
1.1. Natural gas manufacturing
Manufacturing natural gas from coal and oil involves distilling the gases produced
by heating coal or oil.
1.2. Gas stations
Spills, overfilling, and leakages can occur at gas pumps, underground storage
tanks, piping systems, and service areas at gas stations. Petroleum brownfields sites are
some of the most common and easiest to remediate of the different types of brownfields.
1.3. Oil production, distribution and recycling

Drilling,

refining,

storing, transporting

and recycling oil can contaminate soils with

a variety of substances used in oil processing. These include oil sludge, acids, metals,
enzene compounds, and waste oil additives such as PCBs (toxic and carcinogenic
compounds).
2. Manufacturing
2.1. Chemical and dye manufacturing
Chemical and dye manufacturing facilities use a variety of chemicals, including
acids, bases, dyes, polymers, plastics, surfactants, solvents, soaps, and waxes. Facilities
often contain above and belowground storage tanks, waste piles and disposal pits,
wastewater treatment plants and sludge lagoons or settling ponds.

2.2. Ordinance sites

Ordinance
sites are those which produce, construct, stockpile, or discard of military supplies such
as explosives and rifle rounds. Chemicals used at ordnance sites are often highly
specialized according to the sites specific function.
3. Recycling
3.1. Automobile salvage and metal recycling
These facilities recover reusable and recyclable car parts and scrap metal, such as
iron, steel, copper, brass, and aluminum.
3.2. Drum recycling

Drum recycling involves cleaning, repairing and repainting drums to be reused.

Many different chemicals are stored in drums, including acids, bases, corrosive liquids,
reactive chemicals, flammable compounds, and oils.
4. Treatment and repair facilities
4.1. Metal plating and finishing
These facilities improve the durability, corrosion resistance, or other performance
measures of metal products. Materials are cleaned, etched, plated, and finished in a
succession of containers.
4.2. Paint shops and automobile body repair
Paint shops and auto body repair shops can produce contaminants such as toluene,
acetone (a colorless, flammable liquid), perchloroethylene (a solvent), and more. These
contaminants may leak into soils and groundwater.
4.3. Wood preserver facilities
Wood preserver facilities consist of different sites for each stage in the wood prese
rvation process, including wood preparation, treatment, drying, and storage.
5. Miscellaneous
5.1. Agribusiness
Various businesses involved in food production such as agricultural chemical
distribution sites can become contaminated with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
5.2. Asbestos piles
Mining operations, ship building, industrial and domestic waste disposal, and
building foundation excavation can create asbestos piles.
5.3. Landfills and dumps

Both older and newer landfills can have oils, paints, solvents, corrosive cleaners,
batteries, and gardening products. Landfills can also trap methane gas and hydrogen
sulfide in the soil, which at high levels can become explosive.
5.4. Rail yards
Rail yards include networks of railway tracks, storage areas, fueling stations, and
maintenance sites. Rail cars carrying other chemicals and substances can spill or leak
during
unloading and transfer, thus a wide range of substances can be found at rail yards.
Other types of miscellaneous brownfields sites include meat packaging plants,
mining sites and wastes, power generating facilities and utilities, quarries, print shops, and
radiation mining, refining, and research sites.

ADVANTAGES:

Reusing and rehabilitating damaged land instead of developing virgin land is a

sustainable practice. It reduces pressure on undeveloped land resource.

The development of brownfield remediation technology in developed countries has also

prompted the cleanup and reuse of brownfields.

In almost all countries there are many cases of prime development areas like riverfront
sites, industrial waste sites, abandoned warehouses and others with access to public
transportation and inner-city core activity. These sites could be redeveloped into mixed
housing and commercial projects, or community gardens and orchards, and many other land
uses.

BENEFITS OF BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT

Benefits to the community:

Eliminating health and safety hazards;

Eliminating eyesores;

Bringing new jobs into the community:

Bringing new investment into the community;

Increasing the productivity of the land;

INCENTIVES FOR BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT

Local governments provide incentives for brownfield cleanup and redevelopment. Some
of these incentives are provided directly to communities and local governments. Certain
incentives are offered only to property owners. They include:

Tax incentives;

Grants and low-interest loans;

Technical assistance;

Liability protection; and

Streamlined government oversight of cleanups.

WAYS TO CLEAN UP A BROWNFIELD

The EPA shares how a professional cleans up a brownfield:
1. Conduct an assessment.

Search records to learn what the property has been used for. Was it a glue

factory? A school? Often times, land has many uses over time.
Ask neighbors what they have seen or heard.
Walk around the premises to note important property features. Is trash lying

around? Does the brownfield smell strange?

2. Take samples of the soil and have them tested.
This step confirms if contamination is absent or present. The EPA reports nearly
one-third of the sites it has seen are 100 percent contamination-free.
3. Form and execute plans to clean up the site.
The pollutant present will determine how a site is cleaned up. Planting
vegetation to remove chemicals trapped in the earth, removing a few feet of top soil
or covering over contaminants with some kind of thick covering can work.
REMEDIATION TECHNIQUES
There are several ways to apply remediation techniques in a contaminated brownfield
depending on the type and location of the contaminant.

Remediation techniques include removal of contaminants from the site; others are
treated on site, while others are contained on site so as not to spread.

An area with heavy-metal contamination may be designated for surface parking.

Remedies for types of contaminants found at typical brownfield sites are now the
subject of a new field of engineering called environmental engineering. New
technology is targeted to sample, analyze and clean up environmentally contaminated
areas.

Our country is going through rapid urbanization and the need for more legislation on
environmental protection is upon us.

Brownfield redevelopment is very much a part of the effort to reduce our ecological
footprint, which is the impact of human activity on the land and its finite resources.
The most important consideration however is public safety and health.

WHO ARE INVOLVE IN BROWNFIELD CLEANUP AND REDEVELOPMENT?

A variety of private and public sector organizations may play a role in the course of
cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites. Not all of these organizations will be involved
at every site. Key players include

State Environmental Agencies: Property owners or developers that decide to clean up

brownfield sites, either for sale or reuse, may perform the cleanup under the oversight of a state
environmental agency.

State Economic Development and Planning Agencies: Some states provide economic
incentives, such as low-interest loans, for the redevelopment of brownfield properties.

Commercial Lenders: An increasing number of commercial lenders are willing to provide

loans to support the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields.

Technical Consultants: Technical consultants can help design and implement the
investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination on brownfields.

Legal Counsel: Lawyers can assist in many aspects of the cleanup, redevelopment, and
sale of brownfields by advising all interested parties.

Citizens and Community Groups: State and federal cleanup programs may require public
involvement such as opportunity for notice and comment from the public.

Local Government Agencies: Local economic development, planning and tax agencies
may provide incentives for brownfield redevelopments in order to attract investors and
businesses to their communities, guide growth, and increase jobs.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): EPA is unlikely to be directly involved in the

cleanup of brownfield properties, because most cleanups will be overseen by the states.

Developers: Developers typically manage the entire process of cleaning up and adapting
properties for new uses, but they may limit their involvement to determining and implementing
marketable reuses of brownfields.

Brownfield Developers and Investors: A new group of firms specializing in cleaning up

and reusing brownfields has emerged in recent years.

Real Estate Professionals: Real estate professionals can provide advice on the market for
a particular property and can help locate buyers or developers.

III. CASE STUDIES

CHICAGO CENTER FOR GREEN TECHNOLOGY
The Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT) is renowned as an integrated model
of energy efficiency and sustainable design. It functions as a demonstration facility for
renewable energy technologies while promoting sustainable community development through a
combination of educational programming, resources, and research.

Chicago Center For Green Technology Aerial View

SITE HISTORY
The 17-acre property, in which the Chicago center for Green Technology is located,
was being used by the Sacramento Crushing Company to recycle construction and demolition
debris. In 1995, however, the City of Chicagos Department of Environment (DOE)
discovered that the Sacramento Crushing Company had violated the conditions of its
recycling permit. Unable to process the oversupply of waste material, the company began to

pile the debris on site, leading to the creation of an unregulated landfill. The property was
then covered in 600,000 cubic yards of construction waste and debris and the accumulated
waste was dumped into 70 foot-high piles, some of which sank 15 feet into the ground. The
property was commonly referred to as an environmental mess by city officials and media
reports at the time.
Although no contaminants of concern were found on the property, clearing the site of
construction and demolition debris took 18 months and cost $9 million. The DOE also sold
salvageable waste material to other recycling facilities and to city departments that used them
as inputs in their own infrastructure projects.
Potential buyers for the property usually would have had to compensate the city for
the remediation and clean-up costs. In the end, the city was left with a vacant lot and a
derelict building that nobody wanted.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
In 1999, the property had been cleared of the environmental mess left by the
Sacramento Crushing Company and prepared for development led by the Chicago-based
architectural firm Farr Associates, which is a design team of environmentally conscious
professionals. The team opted to design and build the CCGT according to the US Green
Building Councils (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Green Building Rating System.
The total cost to clean and redevelop the brownfield property and vacant building at
445 N. Sacramento Boulevard was $14.4 million. Clearing the construction and demolition
waste that was illegally stored on-site by the Sacramento Crushing Company cost $9 million.
The remaining $5.4 million was used in the construction and renovation of the CCGT
building and property with funds from a settlement between the City of Chicago and the
Commonwealth Edison Company. Construction of the Chicago Center for Green Technology
was completed in 2002 and was subsequently certified LEED Platinum in January 2003.

BUILDING FEATURES
Its LEED Platinum headquarters building, known as Rancho Verde, has won numerous
awards for its innovative, environmentally sensitive approach to the redevelopment of a
brownfield site.
1. Sustainable Sites
Located within 1/2 mile of a Metro Rail station and within 1/4 mile of two bus lines.
Majority of the material accumulated on the site was recycled or salvaged for

reuse.
Bike storage, showers, and changing facilities for bicycle commuters.
Recharging stations for electric vehicles
Preferred parking for carpools.
The brownfield site, which had been turned into a dumping ground for
construction and demolition materials, was cleaned by the city at a cost of nine
million dollars

2. Water Efficiency
Four water-storage cisterns catch rainwater used for irrigation, reduce flow into sewers,
and have a combined capacity of 12,000-gallon.
Native plants minimize maintenance and water needs
Green roof on a portion of the project also reduces stormwater runoff.
CCGT GREEN ROOF

CCGT RAIN GARDEN

3. Energy And Atmosphere

Extensive daylighting displaces the need for some artificial lighting

Expected 24% savings in lighting energy over standard systems.
Insulated, spectrally selective, low-e glazing.
Heat and air conditioning registers are located near occupants with low velocity
output.
4. Materials and Resources
No CFCs are used in any building materials or systems.
No HCFCs are used in any building materials.
Recycling center encourages occupant participation.
100% of the original building's structural shell was retained in the

rehabilitation.
84% of all construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
36% of all building materials have recycled content, including: drywall,
cellulose insulation, linoleum, ceiling tiles, rubber flooring, gravel, fill

materials, steel, tile, MDF board, and fireproofing.

Over 50% of the building materials (excluding mechanical and plumbing
systems) were manufactured or assembled within 300 miles of the construction

site.
The elevator runs on canola oil.

5. Indoor Environment Quality

A construction indoor air quality management plan was designed and implemented by
the contractor
Low-VOC materials.

PNC PARK
HISTORY

PNC Park sits on land that began as wetlands formed by the confluence of the
Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. During Pittsburghs period of industrial growth, these
wetlands were progressively converted for industrial use. Previous tenants have included coal
gasification plants, railroad yards and steel mills.
Location: Allegheny County Pittsburgh
Size: 14.7 Acres
Features: Flat land, riverfront Location
Owner: Sports and Exhibition Authority of
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Current Use: Stadium
Past Use: Mixed commercial and residential
Contaminants: Petrochemicals
Total construction cost: 216 million dollars
PNC PARK Aerial View

SITE TIMELINE

1910s: Area used for freight storehouses and riverfront storage

1970s-1990s: Area occupied by Three Rivers Plaza, GE Supply co. among other

tenants.
1999: Environmental Site Assessment begins, small amount of petrochemical

contamination found
April 1999: Ground broken
March 2001: First game played

TOPOGRAPHY
PNC Park stands on the banks of the Ohio River in the Northside neighborhood of
Pittsburgh. It occupies 14.7 acres of riverfront real estate north of the Three Rivers Park
Walkway. PNC Park sits between the Fort Duquesne Bridge and the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
It is a short walk away from Heinz Field and the Andy Warhol Museum. The former site of the

Three Rivers Stadium which stood between

PNC Park and PNC Park now serves as a
parking lot for both stadiums.

SITE ASSEMBLY AND CONTROL

The current site of PNC Park was
previously owned by more than 30 different
entities. Previous tenants included a GE
Supply Company building, a building
owned by Wesco and several town homes

Historical Site of PNC Park from the Report of the

and stores. These properties were all

Flood commission of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in

purchased

and

assembled

prior

to

1912

construction by SEA.

View of PNC Park from the Allegheny River

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

There was a minor amount of petrochemical contamination detected during the 1999
assessment; the contaminated soil was cleaned up in accordance with the guidelines of the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
SOCIAL/COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
PNC Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, a storied MLB franchise. The area is
predominantly commercial, and the Pittsburgh municipal government has ambitions to make it
a major shopping and entertainment center. The new rail extension being built nearby will
bring more people to enjoy this area.
CURRENT STATUS

View from inside PNC Park looking South East

PNC Park has been praised by fans and critics alike, ESPN ranked PNC Park as the best
stadium in baseball in 2001. Recently ABC News ranked PNC Park as one of the top seven
baseball stadiums in the country. Seats at the stadium continue to be affordable and PNC Park
is one of only a few stadiums to allow guests to bring their own food.

IV. CONCLUSION

We therefore conclude that Architects as well as builders have a very large role in the
society, and also for the environment. One way to have an effective urban planning is by
performing a brownfield process which we all know as reusing and rehabilitating a damaged
land which is called Brownfields. It is a sustainable practice since it reduces pressure on
undeveloped land resource, using a contaminated land to treat and remove contaminants
instead of developing virgin lands.

V.

REFERENCES

Brownfields and Land Revitalization of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview/glossary.htm)
Site Planning and Design Handbook by Thomas H. Russ
(http://globalnation.inquirer.net/propertyfocus/propertyfocus/view/20080710147593/Whats-a-brownfield)
Brownfield Definitions
(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownfield_land)

What is a Brownfield? On How Stuff Works

(

http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/brownfield.htm)

Brownfields Center and Environmental Law Institute

(
http://landarchs.com/latest-news-in-landscape-architecture-2/)

Types of Brownfields
(http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/academics/es/BrownfieldsReport.pdf)

PNC Park Case Study

(http://www.cmu.edu/steinbrenner/brownfields/Case%20Studies/pdf/pnc-park.pdf)