Green Building with Concrete
Green Building, Sustainability, Environmentally Friendly, LEED Building
Concrete is the
material of choice for all of these principles.
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Homeowners Looking to Concrete for Eco-friendly Homes
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One in three homeowners view concrete as the most environmentally friendly building material according to a
recent survey from PCA. With limited dollars and concerns about energy efficiency, weather-resistance and indoor air quality,
more and more homeowners are considering concrete for their next new home. Learn more about what homeowners are saying about concrete...
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Designers Prefer Concrete as a Sustainable Material |
In a study conducted by the PCA (Portland Cement Association), 77 percent of architects, engineers, and
designers have used concrete as their sustainable material in a recent project. The study revealed that these design
professionals highly regarded concrete's energy efficiency.
Read More About the Study...
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What is Green Building?
Designing a home, both inside and out, to increase
performance and to conserve resources used in construction.
How is Concrete used in Green
Building?
Concrete used in exterior walls are highly energy efficient due to what is called the
thermal mass. Thermal mass essentially means the mass can store heat and maintain cool temperatures; which
minimizes indoor temperature fluctuations, and slows the transfer of heat throughout the building.
What is Sustainability?
According to the U.S. EPA, Sustainability
means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
What makes Concrete a sustainable material?
Concrete is a sustainable
material because of its environmental benefits during construction and during the life of the structure. Benefits during
construction include: Minimal Waste, Local Materials, and Recycled
Content. Benefits throughout the life of the structure include: Energy Performance/Thermal Mass,
Durable, Cool, Low Emissions, and Recyclable.
Read more about poured-in-place concrete and sustainability...
What is Environmentally Friendly?
Living in a manner that is
considerate of the environment. For example: conserving energy, reducing air pollution, recycling and conserving natural
resources.
How is Concrete Environmentally Friendly?Concrete is one of the
most
energy-efficient building materials; utilizing thermal-mass keeps the structure cool in the winter and
warm in the summer, lowering energy needs considerably. Structures built using concrete also have
lower indoor
air pollution. Concrete uses some of the earth’s most plentiful and common minerals for its raw materials.
Concrete
conserves resources by only removing the materials needed to make concrete. Only
a fraction of land is used to remove the material, compared to the multitude of acres used when clear-cutting forests
for lumber.
What is LEED?Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design
LEED is a rating system created by the U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. The
system is credit-based, allowing projects to earn points for environmentally friendly actions taken during the construction
and use of a building.
How can concrete be used to help attain LEED certification?
Concrete can help a building earn between 19-23 LEED points. Read how concrete can be used to attain
LEED points by visiting the
LEED page on ConctreteThinker.com.
