Impact of Using Concrete for LEED Certification

Environmental Design & Construction magazine has a great article on the impact of using concrete towards receiving LEED certification:

As the green building industry has evolved, so has the way concrete helps structures become more sustainable. Concrete can help earn points toward LEED certification in every major credit category. And as LEED-NC has evolved, the way it treats concrete has, too.

One of the most striking changes is in the Materials & Resources category, says David Shepherd, director of sustainable development for PCA. “As green becomes more mainstream, what we did five years ago becomes more readily accepted as standard operating procedure,” he explains. Because USGBC’s mission is to transform the marketplace, he says, they raise the bar: where in earlier versions of LEED-NC a building could earn one point toward Credit 4.1 for using 5 percent recycled content, that has now doubled to requiring 10 percent recycled content, and the same goes for Credit 4.2 — doubled to requiring 20 percent recycled content.

“That revision touts the impact of concrete,” explains Shepherd. “They’re changing how concrete is specified, and giving more value to that part of concrete that has the biggest impact…and encouraging use of supplementary cementitious materials.”

Link to “Earning Points” at ED&C