Archive for Building Materials
Video: Prototype LEED-Certified Office Depot Opens
Posted by: | CommentsOffice Depot is opening it’s first LEED-certified prototype store in Austin, TX. What makes this store so significant is that the prototype that has been approved by the USGBC to be replicated in order to streamline future LEED-certified locations.
The model location features, among other items, 52 skylights for EQ, solar panels providing 10% of energy needed to operate the store for EA, native low-irrigation landscaping for WE, a high-albedo roof and preferred parking for EEV’s towards SS and high recycled content concrete and parking curbs for MR.
Kudos to Office Depot - learn more about their environmental stewardship program here.
Green Paks Green Roof: Quick Install, Easy Roof Repairs
Posted by: | CommentsWe recently toured the Fountain View mixed-use development in Chicago, which is targeting LEED Silver certification, and came across a modular green roofing solution worthy of mention. Green Paks, produced by Green Roof Blocks, are a low-cost solution with one of the quickest installs we’ve seen yet.
What’s great is the simplicity of the system. There’s 4″ of growth medium in each 20″ X 32″ high-density polyethlyne fabric module, which are then cut and planted on-site.
The photo below shows the product immediately following installation. The video right after it is a real, time-lapse depiction of the same roof system relocated for roof repairs, then reinstalled. The modular nature of the system makes the process incredibly simple.
We’re told that the cost/SF of this system starts at $7, which places it a the low end of the cost spectrum. If you have had any experiences with Green Paks, please tell us about them.
Fast Food Retailers Embrace LEED Certification
Posted by: | Comments
Photo Credit: Dunkin' Brands
As sustainable construction continues to become a standard practice for many, it’s not surprising that retailers are responding to their consumers’ interests.  But, what may surprise you is the extent to which fast food retailers are testing LEED certified store concepts.
Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza hut has opened its first LEED certified store in Northampton, MA. This KFC-Taco Bell boasts LED lighting, high percentages of recycled content in building materials, preferred parking for EEV’s, solar preheating of intake fresh air and stormwater harvesting for landscape irrigation. The energy model shows a 30% reduction in utility costs versus a standard store.
Dunkin’ Brands recently brought their first LEED certified store online in St. Petersburg, FL.  Sustainable highlights of the outlet include an ICF-based structure, low flow fixtures and motion sensing lighting in the restrooms, well water for irrigation and (check this) an onsite earthworm casting facility. A solar powered tank hosts 80 pounds of earthworms that convert organic waste into fertilizer.
Subway, in December, opened it’s fifth ‘Eco-Store’, this one a LEED Silver property in Kissimmee, FL. The store employs LED interior and signage lighting, remote condensing for cooling and ice makers, sustainable building materials and finishes and low-flow fixures. Notably, Subway has benchmarked their ‘Eco-Stores’ against standard stores and shown a 20% reduction in exnergy costs.
Chipotle has three stores on path to LEED Certification, including a recently opened location in Gurnee, IL. The Gurnee location features high-albedo roofing and hardscape, low-E windows, a 2,500-gallon cistern for rainwater irrigation of the native landscaping, low-VOC finishes, and an on-site wind turbine that generates 10% of the total required electricity.
Considering the depth and density of the fast food sector in America today, it’s encouraging to see these retailers stepping up. If you have any fast food retailers following suit in your area, please share your stories.
Icynene Insulation and a Green Cheese Factory
Posted by: | Comments
Photo Credit: Icynene
Ontario, Canada-based Icynene has developed an expanding, spray foam insulation and air barrier product derived from castor oil. The product exceeds ASTM standards for bio-based materials, is 100% water-blown and insulates and seals in one step.
For those that don’t know, as I didn’t until I conducted some research, the castor plant is an incredibly sustainable and non-toxic crop. Castor beans don’t require irrigation (in normal conditions), do not need to be treated with pesticides or fungicides and yield more than twice the oil of soybeans by weight. In addition to the oil’s other modern usage in beauty products, it has been used as an ingested folk remedy for at least 4,000 years. Yes, 4,000 years - castor beans found in Egyptian tombs have been carbon dated.
An example of the Icynene product in action is the LEED Platinum Fifth Town Artisan Cheese factory (seen above) in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Given the factory’s unique interior environmental conditions required to cultivate cheese, it was critically important to create a high R-value building envelope that maintains conditions in all seasons and prevents condensation and mold growth.  The Icynene product was additionally used in the interior walls to create a thermal and vapor barrier between the administrative/retail areas and the production areas.
Other features of owner, chef, and eco-entrepreneur Petra Cooper’s factory are a subterranean, earth-cooled cheese cave, a geothermal heating system and solar PV. They targeted, but I couldn’t confirm, 13 out of 13 for SS (the 20 acre site is a natural habitat for deer, beaver and native bird) and achieved a large number of MR points with local materials, recycled content and landfill diversion.
And, it’s a pretty good looking cheese factory, right?
Featured Video: LEED Silver High School in Colorado
Posted by: | CommentsThis video is brief walk-through of the huge, 300,000 square foot Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins Colorado. It earned LEED for Schools Silver certification and utilizes over 70% recycled material, solar panels and heavy daylighting. The best part of the video is that is is primarily narrated by students of the school.
A great statistic in this video is that the estimated $100,000 in energy savings each year translates into 2 new teachers on staff. Thinking back to my high school days, it seems that facilities have come a long, long way.
Please let us know of any other LEED for Schools projects that you would like us to share.
Quick and Easy LEED Calculators
Posted by: | CommentsThe most robust online calculators for LEED are within LEED Online, but here are a few ‘public access’ resources that you could consider pointing out to clients for research.
- Concrete and aggregate supplier Holcim Ltd has a LEED calculator for ALL of the credits in every LEED rating system. It’s not for reliance purposes, but a great interactive educational resource for those interested in LEED certification.
- EcoScoreCard powers the environmental calculators for quite a few building material manufacturers. Rather than list each site individually, you can visit this site and click to them all. Excellent for MR reference.
- Walkscore.com is great for estimating community connectivity within the SS division. The limit is that it only has data for the 40 largest cities in the US but, come on, it’s free.
Are there any sites that you think are noteworthy, please share them.
Big Ass Fans for LEED Credits
Posted by: | Comments
Photo: Big Ass Fans
Not only does Kentucky-based manufacturer Big Ass Fans have one of my favorite company names, but they also produce an innovative product that can significantly contribute to LEED certification.
Big Ass products range in diameter from 6′ to a whopping 24′ (pictured in this post) and can circulate a huge amount of with very little energy comsumption. The 20′ diameter model only consumes about 1300 kwh per year and has an amazingly huge displacement of more than 240,000 CFM.
From a LEED perspective, the fans can contribute to EA, EQ, and ID credits, as they did in the world’s first LEED platinum airport hangar at Bob Hope International airport in Burbank, CA. Seven of the 24′ Powerfoil Plus models were installed in the facility.
According to BAF, there are also a few ancillary benefits to having the fans in the hangar. When aircraft return from flight they tend to be covered in condensation, causing corrosion and wet floors. The fans help attenuate these problems by drying the aircraft quickly and also discourage birds from entering the hangar.
I recently spotted a Big Ass fan in a Dominican Republic airport terminal. Please report any Big Ass (fan) sightings you have had.
LEED Certified Parking Structure: A Model for Sustainability
Posted by: | CommentsGenerally speaking, the LEED certification system frowns on automobile transportation. But, this suburban Detroit Blue Cross Blue Shield parking structure is an interesting solution to what is, in many cases, a necessary evil.
The largest contributing factors in this project are in the MR division. Pre-cast concrete, a high percentage of regional materials and other recycled products greatly helped with LEED certification. Additionally, the SS division credits were boosted by a high-density building and site reuse. The owners were able to put more than 1000 parking spaces in the footprint of what was 125 spaces previously.
What’s most notable to me is that this building serves as an excellent model for future parking structure development in both the urban and suburban environment. Parking structures will continue to be built and necessary in the foreseeable future - a commitment to responsibly addressing their design is a remarkable step forward.
Please share your comments and feedback.
Using a Light Shelf for EA and EQ LEED Credits
Posted by: | Comments
Photo Credit: AADL.org
Incorporating a light shelf into your building design is a great way to make progress on EA and EQ LEED credits. Basically, a light shelf is an architectural element placed overhead that redirects light deeper into a building than it would otherwise travel, thus reducing the need for artificial light.
Interior vs. Exterior: A light shelf can be placed on the interior or exterior of a building or, ideally, extend on both sides of the window. However, in some urban applications with zero lot line conditions the shelf can only be interior. While this, to some extent, diminishes the benefits it certainly doesn’t negate them. The real loss is not as much in the volume of reflected light into the space as much as it is in the glare reduction on the lower part of the window system.
Limitations: There are, however, some limitations. A shelf generally should be placed on the south elevation to take advantage of maximum sunlight exposure. If your building doesn’t have a southern exposure, the benefits can be significantly diminished, especially on a northern exposure. Also, a relatively high ceiling height is required for optimum benefit. Depending on the source, you’re looking at 9.5 to 10 feet. Lastly, in a geography with a limited number of sunny days, the overall benefit is reduced.
The most valuable aspect of the light shelf is that it is a passive solar technology, requiring almost no maintenance and has zero moving parts. As with any ‘green’ technology or design element, the simpler the solution and the less ongoing occupant interaction required, the better.
Featured Project: Patagonia’s LEED Gold Distribution Center
Posted by: | CommentsClothing and accessory manufacturer, Patagonia, recently earned LEED Gold certification for a 171,000 SF addition to its Reno, Nevada distribution center. This video gives an excellent summary of the credits pursued, materials used and steps taken to achieve certification.
It’s not mentioned in the video, but the largest consumer of power in the facility, a complex automated conveyor system (designed by Dematic), uses an innovative on-demand run feature to reduce potential energy consumption by 30%.
Best of all, the facility was built with future growth in mind - a truly sustainable facility that will accomodate the company until at least 2016.
Patagonia’s donation of 1% of gross sales to environmental causes ($31MM to date) and strong fair trade practices are further evidence of their commitment to sustainable business. Learn more at Patagonia.com
