Masonry and LEED v4
Other LEED Credits
The LEED Rating System also includes credits for Innovation and Regional Priority. Innovation credits vary from project to project but typically include strategies not covered in LEED, LEED Pilot Credits, or going beyond the LEED requirements. Regional priority credits give added weight of up to four points to credits identified by USGBC’s regional councils and chapters. In many areas of the country, Sustainable Sites credits related to rainwater management and heat island effects are identified as regional priority credits. Another area where masonry products may be able to contribute is the LEED Pilot credits for Resilient Design. One point is earned for each credit met in the areas of: assessment and planning for resilience, design for enhanced resilience, and passive survivability and functionality during emergencies. These credits recognize projects that are planned and designed to function and/or quickly return to normal operation after extreme events or disasters, either natural or manmade. Masonry’s advantages here include noncombustibility, impact resistance, and ability to withstand flooding or other water damage without developing mold or other moisture-related problems. Masonry’s thermal mass also enhances passive survivability and functionality.
FOOTBALL STADIUM SCORES WITH ICMS
After 50 years of service, the Banta Bowl sports complex of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, was primed for a makeover. The extensive renovation included new bleachers, lighting, scoreboard, and an upgraded dual-sport synthetic field. However, the centerpiece of the new construction was to house locker-room space for the Lawrence University Vikings, as well as visitors’ locker rooms and spaces for officials, concessions, ticket sales, public restrooms, and storage. Lead architect Brad Kwasny of Bray Architects looked to accomplish multiple construction tasks in a single assembly via the insulated concrete masonry system (ICMS). “It was one of those situations where we were looking for speed of construction within a limited space, with a limited budget,” says Kwasny, noting that the product met all of these goals by incorporating a number of wall attributes into a single step, and providing a 15.2 R-value—approximately 20 percent higher than the R-value of traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) of the same density. “Once the masons got into a rhythm of working with this new system, it installed much more quickly than the traditional way of laying the CMU, then spraying insulation, and then adding a veneer,” says Kwasny. “The finished wall also took up significantly less space by reducing what would have been a 15½-inch wall depth to 12¼ inches.”
The design of the ICMS allows for either standard CMU or architectural CMU on the interior with the option of a completely different architectural face on the exterior. For the Banta Bowl project, Kwasny chose painted CMU for the interior and a variety of faces for the exterior.
Architects on the makeover of the Banta Bowl Sports Complex in Wisconsin opted to use the ICMS for speed of construction on a limited budget.
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