Green Building

Green Building/LEED Info

Green Building

Concrete can be an ideal building material for LEED certified constructionprojects now being required by many state and local municipalities for government and school projects. LEED certified building is gaining popularity in the private construction community with builders and architects becoming more aware of cost, environmental and health advantages of green building.

Concrete is an excellent choice for green building projects and makes good environmental sense. Concrete does not produce toxic runoff as some other materials such as asphalt do and is usually manufactured locally. The components of concrete are very abundant and extracting the raw materials from quarries takes less toll on the environment than other materials. Quarries can be restored to their natural state after they are exhausted and can be converted and reclaimed for commercial, residential and recreational uses.

Building using green techniques

Utilizing ready-mixed concrete it is possible to accrue LEEDS points in the ways:

• Landscape paving
• Minimizing energy use
• Optimizing energy performance
• Incorporating recycled content
• Use of local or regional materials
• Use of certified wood
• Innovative design techniques
• Site-wide VOC reduction
• Reduction in the use of portland cement
• Stormwater systems
• Reducing construction waste products

Rating System for LEED Green Building

The LEED Green Building Rating System was established in 1998 and developed by United States Green Building Committee (USGBC) members. LEED Green Building strives to reduce waste during the building process and promote environmentally conscious construction that improves indoor and outdoor building quality in buildings.

Recycling

Concrete can incorporate recycled materials into the mix. Several common materials include EPS also known as Styropor®/Styrofoam® as well as fly ash which is a by-product of coal burning in power generating plants. Cost savings can also be realized by incorporating these recycled materials into the concrete mixture.

Energy Efficiency

Concrete offers energy saving benefits when used in commercial buildings and homes. Concrete, especially when combined with EPS and other lightweight fillers, can contribute to high R-factors and moderate fluctuations in temperature by storing and releasing energy for heating and cooling. Concrete manufacturing is reasonably energy efficient. The greatest energy demand being in the manufacture of the cement.