Site Approach

Educational Center

The Educational Center is a 28,000ft2 facility for providing information on recycling, the history of recycling, and the recycling process. Inside the building are exhibits spaces, laboratories, and classrooms. The exhibit spaces will take you through the history of recycling and the it’s state today. The laboratories can be utilized by those who are looking for an answer to the waste problem. Local universities will have access to these spaces and will be able to host classes here.

Fabrication + Refurbishment

The Fabrication +Refurbishment Shop will be another location for recycling. Within the shop, people will be able to drop-off materials, furniture, electronics, and oddities that wouldn’t be recycled at a normal facility. Within the shop, people can work on whatever they brought in, or create something entirely new in the open work areas. The shop will also host classes for those who would like to learn more about refurbishment.

Employee Center

The Employee Center is a 21,000ft2 facility for the employees and their training. Within the facility, the employees have access to common rooms, locker rooms and kitchen areas. There will also be spaces within the facility to train on smaller scale recycling equipment and to learn about deconstruction processes.

Multi-Purpose Hall

Located to the southwest of the site, the Multi-Purpose Hall functions as an openfloor event space. The building is 8,000ft2 and can be set up to accommodate a number of event types and occasions, whether it is a National Recycling Congress Event or a community meeting space.

Campus Commons

A breathe of greenery to the campus. Once a brownfield, the Campus Commons are brought back to life with the help of mycelium and the brownfield remediation process. In the center of the commons is a 55,000 ft2 bioretention pond built to combat the potential flooding the site might face. Surrounding the BR Pond are a number of trails for locals and visitors to utilize at their convenience.

Rails to Trails

Bordering the north edge of the site is a decommissioned railroad track. To bring back a connection between two areas and to encourage walkability around the site, the railroad will be converted to a walking trail. The new trail, along with trails around the site will create new activities to get outside for.

Educational Pathway

After visiting the Educational Center, the Educational Pathway will lead you on a tour of the recycling center and provide you with an opportunity to visualize what you have just learned about. Recycling 31 shipping containers, the pathway winds through the Recycling Center to give you a view of the whole process.

Recycling Center

The Recycling Center is a 43,000ft2 addition to the site that will handle the recycling for the town of McKees Rocks and the surrounding area. A facility of this size will be able to handle nearly 250 tons of waste/day. As that material moves through the recycling process and is sorted, it will be moved to the exterior storage yard, adjacent to the facility.

ByBlock Production Facility

Following the recycling and sorting process, plastic can be allocated to two areas, storage or reuse. The ByBlock Production Facility will use plastic to make a building material alternative to a concrete masonry unit. Using steam and pressure, this process will convert 22 pounds of plastic into a 16” x 8” x 8” CMU alternative. These blocks can then be used in the future construction of homes or shops in the area.

Eco-Tower

Rounding out the end of the tour and serving as a beacon for the site, stands the Eco-Tower. Sitting at the southern most part of the site and along the new main road, the tower is visible to the town and surrounding area. Along with it’s function as a wayfinder for the site, the tower will also harvest rainwater, collect solar energy with photovoltaic panels, and will be coated in titanium dioxide.