Leed Certification
LEED certification is a process that rewards sustainable and environmentally friendly decisions that are part of your construction process. It is a way to demonstrate that certain environmental goals have been achieved during the design and construction of the structure or facility that is being certified. To be certified, the building project needs to obtain certain points and meet green building standards. A LEED certified building can qualify to obtain specific state and local government incentives.
How Many LEED Rating Systems Are Available
The latest LEED rating system consists of 5 different areas addressing multiple projects:
Building Design and Construction
Interior Design and Construction
Building Operations and Maintenance
Neighborhood Development
Homes
These 5 areas are then broken into smaller components where points are given and depending on a number of points received they can obtain one of the following categories:
CERTIFIED 40-49 Points
SILVER 50-59 Points
GOLD 60-79 Points
PLATINUM 80+ Points
This rating system can be implemented in both, new construction and existing buildings. Glass Fiber Reinforced Products help earn credits as they are sustainable and earth friendly products.
Benefits from LEED Certification?
Having your building certified under LEED will reduce your building's operation and maintenance costs while creating a better indoor environment for all building users. Additional benefits of LEED Certification include:
Increased Building Valuation
Reduced liability
Reduced energy and water usage
Better indoor air quality
Reduced maintenance and operation costs
Reduced construction waste during the process
Reduced 'sick building' syndrome
LEED credits vary by manufacturer, product, and type of contribution. For example, below are the LEED credits that Glass Fiber Reinforced Products can contribute to:
MATERIALS & RESOURCES
MR Credit 2.1 and 2.2: Construction Waste Management
Most UP GFR products are custom molded to size which results in minimal job site cutting and waste. Efficient packaging design minimizes waste and makes best use of post consumer materials that can be reused at the job site or recycled by local businesses. These results in a reduction in construction waste diverted to landfills.
MR Credit 4.1 and 4.2: Recycled Materials
Recycled content in UP GFR products is calculated in accordance to the International Standards Organization standard ISO 14021 - Environmental Labels and Declarations referenced in most recent versions of LEED rating systems.
Because UP GFR products are custom made for a broad range of applications, and supplied in a variety of materials and finishes, recycled content will vary from 10% to 20%. An accurate disclosure of recycled content for use in a given LEED® project can be made upon submission of a detailed description of application, finish or project drawings.
MR Credit 5.1 and 5.2: Regional Materials
Depending on the materials chosen (GRG, GFRC, FRP, and the associated materials used in the material formulation), the location of the project site, and the manufacturing facility involved in the manufacture of products, this credit may apply. UP Ceilings will work with a LEED® project team to help make this determination.
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EQ Credit 4.1 Low-Emitting Materials: Adhesives and Sealants
When required, the following national brands of construction adhesives are recommended for on-site installation use:
Loctite, Power Grab acrylic latex adhesive -
VOC content = 0 g/1
Henkel, No More Nails acrylic latex adhesive
VOC content = 0 g/1
EQ Credit 4.2 Low-Emitting Materials: Paints and Coatings
Unless otherwise specified, factory painted parts for LEED® projects (if ordered) have the following broadly distributed low VOC coatings, or are recommended for on-site use.
Primer sealers:
ICI Dulux Lifemaster White - VOC content = 0 g/1
Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec White - VOC content = O g/1
Non-Flat paints: ICI Dulux Lifemaster Eggshell White - VOC content= 0 g/1
Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec Semi-Gloss White - VOC content = 0 g/1
Other important environmental benefits associated with the use of UP GFR products include that compared to the traditional alternatives, UP GFR products use less raw material (typically less than 50% as compared to drywall and plaster assemblies). Our high-strength and lightweight composite material requires less support framing, thereby extending the reduced use of raw
materials beyond the actual UP Ceilings products themselves, but to the requisite framing materials otherwise needed for the installation of the traditional alternatives.
Click for more information and to download UP Ceilings LEED Report.
For more information regarding LEED and how contruction materials can impact your project, reach out to an expert at UP Ceilings today: CONTACT