Brickstone Properties: The Collins Building, Philadelphia, PA

Ransom collaborated with Brickstone Properties on the Collins Building, to redevelop abandoned industrial and commercial buildings in Philadelphia’s city center. Beginning in 2012, Brickstone assembled five adjacent parcels along the 1100 block of Chestnut Street to develop The Collins, a mixed-use development of prime apartments and retail spaces.

The challenge: The properties were built in the late 19th century and posed multiple contaminant risks onsite including asbestos and lead-based paint. Ransom also addressed PCBs, which impacted soils, concrete and other building materials. Remediation of such environmental conditions can typically take up to one year. However, our team made a push to work within Brickstone’s expedited time frame and completed the needed remediation.

Ransom worked closely with PA DEP and the US EPA through the One Cleanup Program, as the PCB-impacted equipment, debris, and flooring are considered regulated wastes under the US Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). Much of the material had to be managed as “mixed” TSCA (i.e. PCB-impacted) and asbestos waste. However, due to the significantly higher cost of disposal for PCB-impacted waste, the materials were segregated in an effort to minimize disposal costs and the site was remediated in accordance with the client’s aggressive development schedule.

During the investigation activities, trichlorobenzene was detected in the soils. Ransom provided options and conducted a cost analysis to address the concern of vapor intrusion. As part of this process, Ransom designed a vapor barrier to mitigate the problem.

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