BASF Construction Chemicals’ Admixture Systems business haslaunched a third-party, critically reviewed Environmental ProductDeclaration Manager tool for concrete, enabling preparation ofcustomer-specific EPDs to help producers communicate mixtures’environmental performance and attributes.
Read MoreSource: U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.
USGBC released its Top 10 States for LEED, the worldʼs most widely used and recognized green building rating system, highlighting the regions around the country that are at the forefront of sustainable building design and transformation.
Read MoreSources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff
Toward the 9th annual International Concrete Sustainability Conference, May 12-14, in Cambridge, Mass., NRMCA has secured 60-plus experts to cover the latest developments in design, specification, production, testing, construction, maintenance and research of concrete as they relate to sustainability.
Read MoreSource: American High-Performance Buildings Coalition (AHPBC), Washington, D.C.
Chemical and building materials interests issued a statement responding to the U.S. General Services Administration’s recommendation of the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes 2010 and U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 as third party certification systems:
Read MoreSources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff
“An Introduction to Product Category Rules (PCR), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Other Aspects of Sustainable Process and Resilient Materials” will be held December 8 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverfront, host venue of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates standards development meetings.
Read MoreSources: Skanska USA, New York; CP staff
Major heavy civil and general contractor Skanska USA resigned its U.S. Chamber of Commerce membership to protest the group’s support of the American High-Performance Building Coalition (AHPBC), which is lobbying federal lawmakers to limit government projects to green building rating systems developed with consensus-based standards.
Read MoreSources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva; CP staff
WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative’s (CSI) new Product Category Rules (PCR) for unreinforced concrete offer producers a common methodology to prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their mixes. CSI membership includes all multinational companies with integrated North American operations: Argos, CRH, Cemex, GCC, Heidelberg, Holcim, Lafarge, Taiheiyo, Titan and Votorantim.
Read MoreSource: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.
NRMCA has become an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program Operator, a designation enabling it to help members meet new requirements in LEED v4, International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products. EPDs are third-party verified reports published by product manufacturers that provide quality assured and comparable information regarding the environmental performance of their product.
Read MoreSources: U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Washington, D.C.; CP staff
The addition of measurement and performance tools affecting construction material and product specifications for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification-targeted projects is among factors behind USGBC’s decision to delay a final LEED 2012 ballot until later this year, then rebrand the new version LEED v4 for a mid-2013 release.
Read MoreSources: CP staff; Transamerica Pyramid Properties LLC and BuildingWise LLC, San Francisco; U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.
By Don Marsh
Exposed, white quartz-aggregate cladding was cited with a “cool roof” effect as Transamerica Pyramid owners pursued (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-Existing Building) LEED-EB Platinum certification for their San Francisco landmark. Completed in 1972, the 853-ft. tower is enclosed with 3,920 precast pieces totaling 360,000 sq. ft. of surface.
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