Daniel C. O’Keefe Building

Constructed in 1923 and initially serving as a junior high school, the Daniel C. O’Keefe Building became part of the Georgia Tech campus in 1989. Renovations in 2003, 2006, and 2012 updated the HVAC system, LED lighting, low-flow water fixtures, and enhanced insulation to operate more sustainably while preserving the building’s historic character. Reuse of materials from the original reduced waste during construction. It currently houses administrative operational functions, the Georgia Tech Language Institute, and three branches of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs. 

The Building Services teams in zero waste and custodial services operating out of O’Keefe were key contributors to the precertification process and to waste systems updates. O’Keefe contains bins for hard to recycle materials used in the maintenance shop, such as nickel and oil, as well as updated bins for standardized campus recycling for plastics 1&2, aluminum, mixed paper, and cardboard in accordance with Keep America Beautiful standards. O’Keefe also recently added individual composter stations to several of its breakrooms, a pallet recycling program, and updated recycling signage as part of an effort to standardize signage across campus.

Image credit: Georgia Institute of Technology