June 2008 Archives
The family of Yolanda Mathis, the first person to purchase a LEED-certified residence in the state of Arkansas (The Argenta CDC built it), is the cover story for 501 Life, a new magazine highlighting activities in Central Arkansas. Click here for a link to the magazine web site and read all about what a great job the CDC is doing!!
John Shonka, Project Engineer with Knutson Construction Services Midwest has become a LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmen-tal Design, Accredited Professional. LEED AP is a distinguished pursuit among those aspiring to demonstrate their ability to apply the LEED Rating System to green building projects. LEED is a voluntary standard that defines healthier and more environmentally responsible building structures, also known as green buildings.
LEED Gold Certification: Public Works and Transportation facilities (2006 Bond Program and thereafter)
LEED Gold Certification: Public Works and Transportation facilities (2006 Bond Program and thereafter)
- All new municipal construction or major reconstruction projects with an estimated capital cost of more than $2 million except schools and hospitals, must meet LEED* Silver certification standards.
- Non-municipal projects meeting the above criteria and receiving at least 50% of project costs or $10 million from the city treasury must also meet LEED Silver certification standards
- School and hospital projects meeting the above criteria need only meet LEED certification standards.
- Projects with an estimated construction cost of $12 million - $30 million, schools excluded, must achieve an energy cost reduction of 20% above LEED Credit EA1 or the New York State Energy Construction Code (ECCCNYS), which ever is more stringent; and achieve an additional 5% energy cost reduction if the payback period is less than 7 years.
- Projects with an estimated construction cost of more than $30 million, schools excluded must achieve an energy cost reduction of 25% above LEED Credit EA1 or ECCCNYS, which ever is more stringent; and achieve a further energy cost reduction of 5-10% if the payback period is less than 7 years.
- School projects with a construction cost of more than $12 million must achieve energy cost reductions of 20% above LEED Credit EA1 or the ECCCNYS, whichever is more stringent; and achieve a further energy cost reduction of 5-10% if the payback period is less than 7 years.
Project Specific Requirements: These apply in cases where the general requirements are not triggered.
- Capital projects involving the installation or replacement of a boiler with an estimated construction cost of $2 million or more, or lighting with an estimated cost of $ 1 million or more, must be designed and constructed to reduce energy use by at least 10% above LEED Credit EA1 or the ECCCNYS, whichever is more stringent.
- Each capital project, other than those covered by the preceding clause, that involves the installation or replacement of HVAC comfort controls with an estimated cost of $2 million or more must be designed and installed to reduce energy costs by 5% above LEED Credit EA1 or ECCCNYS, whichever is more stringent.
Supplementing the green building program, New York City also has a policy for the purchase of energy efficient products by city agencies. Local Law No. 119 of 2005 (effective January 2007) directs that purchase solicitations from city entities include a specification that products be EPA Energy Star certified if Energy Star standards exist for that type of appliance and if at least 6 manufacturers produce certified products. In addition the law also specifically forbids the purchase of incandescent light bulbs if an equally useable fluorescent alternative is available, directs all office equipment with energy management software be calibrated to achieve the highest savings practical, and directs that screen savers which disrupt low-power mode on computer monitors be disabled.
PA 07-242 requires the state building inspector and the Codes and Standards Committee to amend the State Building Code to require (1) buildings costing $ 5 million or more built after January 1, 2009 and (2) renovations costing $ 2 million or more starting January 1, 2010 to meet the LEED silver standard or its equivalent. The requirements apply to private and public sector projects, other than residential buildings with up to four units. The act requires the inspector and the committee to waive these requirements if the Institute for Sustainable Energy finds that the cost of compliance significantly outweighs the benefits.
The act has additional provisions for state-funded buildings. Prior law required new state facilities costing $ 5 million or more, funded on or after January 1, 2007 (with exceptions for schools and structures such as maintenance garages) to meet the LEED silver standard or its equivalent. Starting January 1, 2008, PA 07-242 extends the requirements to the following types of projects with at least $ 2 million in state funding: (1) renovations to state facilities approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008, (2) new school construction projects authorized by the legislature on or after January 1, 2009 that cost $ 5 million or more, and (3) school renovation projects authorized by the legislature on or after January 1, 2009 costing at least $ 2 million. The act also requires all of these facilities to exceed the current building code energy efficiency standards by at least 20%.
The State Building Code requires that buildings and building elements be designed to provide optimum cost-effective energy efficiency over a building's life. The act requires the state building inspector and the committee to revise the code starting January 1, 2008, and specifically includes residential buildings in this mandate.
Read the entire memorandum to include financial assistance for Green Building
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) - SIPs can earn points towards LEED certification for a project:
[Excerpted from: CommercialSIPs.com The Features, Benefits & Applications of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)]
Concrete offers a wide range of applications, techniques and properties that can help a project achieve 19 to 28 LEED points. Concrete can contribute directly or indirectly to receiving points under 15 credit levels, with additional points possible under the "Innovation in Design" section.
Below are suggestions for earning LEED-NC v2.2 points through the use of cement and concrete products. The paragraph headings below correspond to the credit categories and the credit numbers in the LEED rating system.
Sustainable Sites
Credit 3: Brownfield Redevelopment (1 point)
Cement can be used to solidify and stabilize contaminated soils and reduce leaching concentrations to below regulatory levels.
Credit 5: Site Development (1-2 points)
Concrete parking garages within buildings can be used to limit site disturbance, including earthwork and clearing vegetation, as well as reduce the overall building footprint to help maintain existing natural areas.
Credit 6: Stormwater Management (1-2 points)
Pervious concrete and permeable pavers can be used to increase infiltration of stormwater, reducing both the flow and quantity, and the pollution associated with runoff. Pervious concrete contains coarse aggregate, little or no sand, and insufficient cement paste to fill the voids. It results in concrete with a high permeability that allows water to flow through easily.
Similar results can be achieved by using concrete grid pavers that have large voids where vegetation can grow.
Infiltration of stormwater filters out pollutants as well for a second point.
Credit 7: Heat Island Effect (1-2 points)
The heat island credit addresses the amount of heat buildup associated with roofs and paved surfaces. Using concrete, high-reflectance pavers, or open-grid pavers rather than asphalt for at least 50 percent of sidewalks, courtyards, parking lots, driveways and access roads can garner one point.
Alternately placing a minimum of 50 percent of parking spaces under a building, roof or deck that has a Solar Reflective Index (SRI) of at least 29 will work. A second point can be achieved with a vegetated roof or a roof with white cement tile.
Concrete decks are often needed to provide structural support for the heavy, moist soil in a vegetated roof. Lightweight concrete topping can be used to create a sloping deck to provide drainage for the system.
Concrete constructed using ordinary portland cement generally has an SRI around 35. New concrete made with "white" portland cement can have an SRI as high as 86. For comparison, new asphalt usually has an SRI of 0, and weathered asphalt has an SRI of approximately 6.
Energy and Atmosphere
Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy Performance (required)
Buildings constructed of cast-in-place, tilt-up, precast, insulating concrete forms, or masonry possess thermal mass to help moderate indoor temperatures and reduce peak heating and cooling loads. When buildings are properly designed and optimized, incorporating thermal mass can lead to a reduction in heating, ventilating and air-conditioning equipment capacity and save both energy and construction costs.
Credit 1: Optimize Energy Performance (1-10 points)
Additional points are awarded when energy cost savings can be shown compared to a base building that meets code requirements of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Studies show that using concrete walls that are insulated to exceed minimum code requirements by a modest amount (about the same as minimum requirements for wood-frame walls) can contribute to earning 1 to 3 points, depending on the building type, orientation and climate. Optimizing design can achieve up to 10 points.
Materials and Resources
Credit 1: Building Reuse (1-2 points)
Concrete is long lasting and resistant to damage, making buildings with concrete shell components strong candidates for this credit.
Credit 2: Construction Waste Management (1-2 points)
Since concrete is a massive construction material and is frequently crushed and recycled into aggregate for road bases or construction fill, this credit should be obtainable when concrete buildings are demolished.
Credit 4: Recycled Content (1-2 points)
Supplementary cementitious materials — such as fly ash, silica fume and slag cement — are considered pre-consumer recycled content. Furthermore, using recycled concrete or slag as aggregate instead of extracted aggregates would qualify as post-consumer.
Credit 5: Regional Materials (1-2 points)
Concrete usually qualifies because ready-mix and precast plants are within 500 miles of a jobsite, and the materials used to make concrete are extracted within 500 miles.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Credit 4: Low-Emitting Materials (1-2 point)
Although it specifies low VOC paints and coatings for use on the interior of a building, concrete walls and ceilings with no coatings also contribute to this credit. Similarly the point for low VOC carpet may be achieved if flooring surfaces other than carpet, such as polished concrete, can demonstrate equivalent performance to the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Program.
Other points
Concrete can also be used to obtain points indirectly. For example, concrete can be used as cisterns to collect rainwater or gray water for Water Efficiency Credit 1: Water Efficient Landscaping or Water Efficiency Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies. Bio-based form-release agents can contribute to Materials and Resources Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials. The thermal mass of concrete contributes to Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 7: Thermal Comfort.
In addition to the points discussed above, four points are available as Innovation in Design credits if an innovative green design strategy does not fit into the point structure or if it goes significantly beyond a credit requirement. For example, the U.S. Green Building Council has indicated that an Innovation in Design credit may be allowed for needing the durability credit (MR8) allowed in LEED Canada-NC v1.0.
[Excerpted from: Katherine Morgan is an associate at O'Brien & Co., a green building consulting firm. Martha VanGeem is principal engineer and manager of Building Science & Sustainability at CTLGroup. Both are LEED Accredited Professionals.]
There has been alot of renewed interest in SIPs these last years and for good reason. The difference now and the panels of yesterday primarily focuses on the core of the panel. Polyurethane is one of the more popular panels today by new home builders and owner builders.
PolyurethanePanels.com - Free Learning AIA Accredited course on SIPs - 105 page PDF download
SIPFaqs,org - Q&A Site about SIPs
Greenix Homes - SIP Shell Kits for sale
Insulated Component Structures, Inc.
SIP Advice - Call in number to speak with a SIP professional that will answer your questions about SIPs
(North Little Rock, Ark.)
– The U.S. Green Building Council announced today that Argenta CommunityDevelopment Corporation has been awarded a Gold LEED
‐H® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designfor Homes) certification rating for four green homes in its affordable housing construction initiative Building
Green.
This will be the first residential structure in Arkansas to earn a LEED® designation.In order to be selected to design a town building, an architectural firm must have at least one LEED-accredited professional on the design team. For new construction and building additions required to achieve LEED certification under this ordinance, the town requires either the project architect or engineer to monitor the energy performance of the building and to assist the building's staff in optimizing energy use of the building during the first year.
Contract for project design services require the development of a commissioning plan as part of the construction documents. The commissioning plan must include provisions for initial commissioning upon completion of the construction project and provisions for a commissioning evaluation to take place after the building has a 12-month utility billing history.
