Today's interior concrete walls, concrete and cementitious overlay floors and concrete masonry units are offered in nearly limitless colors and textures. Interior applications include stamped, stained, engraved, ground and polished concrete floors, walls and countertops, glazed concrete masonry unit walls, cement fiberboard, and stucco with aesthetic appeal, long-term durability and low maintenance. Unlike other interior finish materials, concrete, concrete masonry units, cement-fiberboard and cementitious-based building materials emit very low or no volatile components, do not harbor dust allergens or contribute to mold and mildew growth.

Innovation in Design Process (ID) (ID Credit 1.1 − 1.4); 1 − 4 points
Intent: To provide design teams and projects the opportunity to be awarded points for exceptional performance above the requirements set by the LEED not specifically addressed by the LEED-NC Green Building Rating System.

At present, most ID points are awarded for exceptional performance above LEED requirements in the MR category. In 2001, Mithun, Inc., a design firm in Seattle, WA, worked with structural engineers Magnusson Klemencic Associates to help obtain an ID point by utilizing a 50 percent fly ash containing concrete mixture for IslandWood, an environmental education center in Bainbridge Island, WA.

 

 

Another example is the Gold-certified Clearview Elementary School in Hanover, PA., designed and engineered by L. Robert Kimball & Associates. The school was built with ICFs filled with concrete containing as much as 60 percent slag cement replacement.   To help designers brainstorm opportunities for earning ID points, the USGBC (www.usgbc.org) publishes anInnovation & Design Credit Catalog. One recent ID point relates to preserving open space by locating a building on top of the campus' chilled water reservoir tank constructed with 30-inch concrete walls and steel superstructure. Another ID point applicant minimized the quantity of materials by using the underside of the concrete floor and roof deck as the ceiling on all levels.

The USGBC has granted an ID credit for concrete walls and ceilings with no paints or coatings on the interior. It has also approved that a durability credit allowed in LEED Canada-NC 1.0 can be used as an ID credit in LEED NC 2.2 (Guide to Sustainable Design with Concrete by the Cement Association of Canada (www.cement.ca) is a useful source for Canadian LEED credits, which could be allowed by the USGBC).

LEED Accredited Professional (ID Credit 2; 1 Point)
Intent: To support and encourage the design integration required by LEED.

One principal participant of the project team shall be a LEED Accredited Professional (AP). The LEED professional's knowledge of the properties of concrete will help determine additional
credit possibilities.

Conclusion

Complying with sustainable design requirements and employing integrated, whole building design practices is the first instrumental step towards minimizing the detrimental impact that construction imparts on our nation's resources. The use of concrete, concrete masonry and cement-based building materials offer extensive sustainable benefits. An increased understanding and awareness of the environmental impacts of using concrete is necessary to understand its extraordinary delivery of sustainable benefits to the environment.

 

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