Greenbuild 2007

Ensuring delivery of a strong environmental message and demonstration of how concrete slabs and structures apply to the U.S. Green Building Council’s

Don Marsh

Ensuring delivery of a strong environmental message and demonstration of how concrete slabs and structures apply to the U.S. Green Building Council’s widely embraced LEED rating system, a contingent of national material and product operators and five trade groups participated in the 2007 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, Nov. 7-9 in Chicago. Expo attendees noted demonstrations or announcements from:

  • National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, which deployed water tank-style displays to demonstrate pervious and permeable paving methods, both holding LEED point value
  • Holcim (US) Inc., St. Lawrence Cement and Aggregate Industries, announcing a call for Holcim Awards/North American Region entries, plus expanded participation in two climate change programs
  • Portland Cement Association, advancing its recently adopted Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World message, releasing an urban heat island effect study findings favoring concrete pavement
  • National Concrete Masonry Association and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, providing information on architectural possibilities, plus thermal efficiency and site-waste reduction factors, tied to specification of block or precast walls and load-bearing members
  • Oldcastle Architectural, promoting new permeable pavement units and single-wythe structural CMU with water leakage control. Other national operators showing premium concrete pavement and wall products were Hanover Architectural and Wausau Tile.

Staged at the McCormick Place Convention Center, the event drew 22,800, a nearly 40 percent increase over the Greenbuild 2006 in Denver. The 2008 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will be Nov. 19-21 in Boston.

LEED + LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS

The U.S. Green Building Council LEED Steering Committee announced that life-cycle analysis will be introduced into the LEED System in 2008. Details provided to working task group members during last month’s Greenbuild gathering note the following implementation schedule:

  • The project team and LSC’s LCA Task Group will complete a definition of the methodology;
  • The methodology will be circulated for review and feedback from members of the prior LCA into-LEED stakeholder group and Working Groups;
  • The method, informed by input from the Working Group membership, will be sent to the LEED Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group (MR TAG) for review and input on technical and usability issues;
  • An updated method incorporating MR TAG input will be sent to the LSC for review and approval for public comment;
  • Public comments will be solicited, received, and answered; and,
  • A final version will be released as an alternative compliance path within LEED-NC, supplanting specific materials and resources (MR) credits.
    Û National Concrete Masonry Association