Today I found an interesting article relating to LEED projects and acoustics (sound quality), featured on another green website. It noted how acoustics are often overlooked or improperly addressed, even though Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) credits are intended to improve them. (A webinar I participated in also reiterated this statement.)
So if you design or assist on LEED building projects, this article is definitely worth checking out.
Kirei, most commonly known for their highly recognizable sorghum board, has expanded their line to include other green materials. A recent visit to the manufacturer’s website brought a discovery of bamboo, wheatboard, and coconut shell green materials; all rapidly renewable products (grown, harvested and replenished within 10 years or less) which can help contribute towards LEED points.
Kirei’s bamboo line features the fairly commonly edge grain, horizontal, and strand grain versions. Also included is a proprietary “chocolate” bamboo, which is darker in tone than a typical caramel or carbonized version. The wheatboard is marketed towards as a green MDF substitute, as it is not overly stable as a countertop surface or cabinetry front. Is it suitable, however, as paneling or surface which does not receive high usage. Lastly, the Coco product, which is made from coconut shells, is tile form available in a woven or organic pattern. The sizes are 12″ x 12″ tile or panel size of 48″ x 48″, which could be used in multiple ways to create patterns and forms. Check it out.
This past month, Armstrong introduced a new acoustical ceiling tile – Tierra – which is composed of 45% of rapidly renewable jute fiber and has Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Silver Certification. (Cradle to Cradle measures how environmentally sound or “green” product is by levels of certification – platinum, gold, silver, or basic.)
Armstrong markets Tierra as the “greenest” ceiling tile system available in the marketplace, and the visual appearance of the tile is virtually identical to a fine textured acoustical ceiling tile. The performance acoustics aren’t bad either – it has a NRC of .85 and LR of .88. The only downside is that because of the jute composition (i.e. soft fibers that cannot form edge profiles), it only has square edge profiles available in 2′x2′ or 2′x4′ sizes. No information on cost yet, but it would be an easy way to help target LEED Materials & Resources credit 6 for rapidly renewable products. Check it out on their Website.
Countertops with recycled glass content are about as common as cell phones these days, but it’s a bit rarer to be easily accessible to the general public.
Available through Lowe’s is the ECO line by Cosentino, launched which contains a mix of up to 75% post-consumer and post-industrials recycled mirrors, glass, and porcelain materials. What makes ECO unique is its concrete/bio based resin composition; it has about 25% of natural based products used as a binder. It’s even available in tile form as well as slab sizes.
Eco is Greenguard certified (doesn’t contribute to indoor air contaminants) and can even help contribute towards LEED points. Check out their site.
If you are at a loss to find ways to creatively incorporate reclaimed wood into a green projects, check out the Reclaimed Iconic Panels by B&N Industries. Wood species varies from fir to teak, and all panels are finished in a low VOC varnish. Very graphic/design-esque oriented, they are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, making it a creative way to target LEED several credits.
Their website features some great installation photos of the panels, check it out.
Koch Hazard has been using LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) for 4 years. Just like codes, LEED is updated and then re-released as the next version through the US Green Building Council. Courthouse Square and Museum of Visual Materials are Version 2.1, and Cherapa Place is Version 2.2. Each successive version works through kinks, incorporates new technologies, and responds to user comments to improve the rating system. The next release is LEED v3, and has just opened up for public comment before officially being published.
LEED 2009 resets the bar for green building leadership because the urgency of our mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before. LEED 2009, coupled with an expanded third-party certification program and significant enhancements to LEED Online make up a multi-faceted initiative that we refer to as LEED v3. ~ Rick Fedrizzi, CEO USGreen Building Council
Major areas of change include:
For more details, go to the BuildingGreen article http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/2008/5/20/Next-Generation-of-LEED-Out-for-Public-Comment/
