Federal buildings agency takes stock of LEED v4

The U.S. General Services Administration released a review of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Version 4 (LEED v4), the new version of the LEED green building certification system by the U.S. Green Building Council. The document examines how LEED v4 aligns with existing federal statutory, regulatory, and Executive Order green building requirements.

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Lafarge, Oldcastle, NPCA and PCI advance Precast Product Category Rule

Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff

To support development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) catering to contracts for green building certification candidate projects—especially those targeting the recently released LEED v4— precasters and allied groups are finalizing a North American Precast Concrete Category Rule (PCR) through program operator ASTM International.

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NRMCA certifies Cemex’s premier Environmental Product Declaration

cemex

Cemex USA has published an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for 12 mix designs produced at its Pier 92 plant in San Francisco, a market laden with green-building practitioners and clients who are stepping up supplier transparency requirements with the tightening of project rating systems, chief among them the EPD-incentivizing LEED v4.

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The gospel of green building certification according to the environmentalist fringe

On the strength of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, the U.S. Green Building Council has rapidly become one of the more influential groups in architecture, engineering and construction. What USGBC lacks in codified standards or contract guidelines akin to those of the American Concrete Institute, American Institute of Architects or American Society of Civil Engineers, for example, is balanced by LEED, a brand greatly solidified during the past decade.

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Latest LEED version premiers against Greenbuild backdrop

The U.S. Green Building Council has marked a turning point in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building program, unveiling LEED v4 last month in Philadelphia, host city for the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Council officials cite among new LEED version highlights:

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New LEED version challenges entire building, construction supply chain

The U.S. Green Building Council points to transparency as a guiding principle of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating program’s latest version. Unveiled at the 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo last month in Philadelphia, LEED v4 responds to the increasing recognition of life cycle energy consumption by addressing buildings’ operating phases, but keeps provisions where concrete can contribute to credits on a scorecard for Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum level certification.

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Pacing LEED v4, Northfield Block issues industry’s premier Health Product Declaration

Sources: CP staff; CarbonCure Technologies Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia

In a nod to customers aligning project specs with forthcoming U.S. Green Building Council certification guidelines, Oldcastle Architectural’s business serving Chicago and upper Midwest markets has announced a Health Product Declaration (HPD) for its Trendstone Sandstone ground face concrete masonry unit.

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Oldcastle Architectural’s Northfield Block injects CO2 into curing regimen

Source: CarbonCure Technologies Inc., Halifax, N.S.

The Oldcastle Architectural Products Group business serving the largest Midwest market will add a carbon dioxide-sequestering process to concrete masonry curing at its three-machine plant in Morris, Ill., located about 40 miles west of Chicago.

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