LEED® and SITES®

To set a green building leadership example, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) increased its stipulation for LEED certification for its facilities in 2010. The GSA now requires all new federal buildings and major renovation projects to achieve at least a LEED Gold certification, up from the previous Silver rating. “Sustainable, better-performing federal buildings can significantly contribute to reducing the government's environmental footprint,” former GSA Commissioner of Public Buildings Robert A. Peck has said. “This new requirement is just one of the many ways we're greening the federal real estate inventory to help deliver on President Obama's commitment to increase sustainability and energy efficiency across government.” The GSA's portfolio includes more than 361 million square feet of space in 9,600 federally owned and leased facilities occupied by more than 1.2 million federal employees.

Coronado, California sewer pump station—sod over flexible concrete mat Photo courtesy of Soil Retention Products, Inc.

Vegetated permeable pavement options can help projects achieve LEED® and SITES® credits. Points for LEED® Credit 1 Water Efficient Landscape, when planted with drought turf and tolerant groundcover; Credit 4 Recycled Content for HDPE, fly ash or slag; Credit 5.0, 5.1 & 5.2 Site Development for use in parking stalls and pathways, and use of regional materials, where applicable; Credit 6.1 & 6.2 Stormwater Design for water quality and quantity control; and Credit 7.1 & 7.2 Non-roof (parking) and Roof (pathways).

Within the proposed point system for SITES® (the Sustainable Sites Initiative), potential credits may be reached for Site Design/Water (3.3 protect and restore riparian areas, 3.4 rehabilitate streams, 3.5 manage stormwater, 3.6 protect and enhance on-site water resources and water quality), Site Design/Soil and Vegetation (4.6 restore biomass, 4.7 use native plants, 4.9 restore vegetation native to the ecoregion, and 4.12 reduce urban heat island effects); Site Design/Materials Selection (5.3 deconstruction design, 5.5 recycled content, 5.7 regional materials); Site Design/Human Health and Well Being (6.5 site accessibility, 6.6 opportunities for physical activity, 6.8 provide outdoor spaces); Construction (7.2 restore soils disturbed during construction), and Monitoring and Innovation.

Conclusion

The use of a vegetated permeable pavement system is becoming very popular with urbanized areas near coastal and riparian environments, and those adjacent to lakes and rivers, essentially where the bulk of all our cities are located. Use of these green infrastructure techniques can have huge significance to efforts to be more sustainable and to lessen our impact on the environment. Infiltration of water through vegetated permeable pavement, with its ability to slow and clean runoff full of pollutants like motor oil, salts, and urban detritus, is but one reason to use vegetated permeable pavements.

The applications for vegetated permeable pavements will continue to grow, as noted in the green infrastructure plans for Chicago, New York, and other major metropolitan areas. All elements of site design can benefit from permeable pavement. Whether a large-scale or small-scale project, the use of vegetated permeable pavement gains valuable space for the site designer and developer in companion with its stormwater benefits. Site landscapes can become more multifunctional, creating more usable open space and a sustainable landscape.

 

ENDNOTES
1	Brattlebo & Booth 2003; NCSU 2007
2	Foreword, Technical Guidance/EPA
3	Wikipedia
4	Ferguson, Porous Pavement (2005)
5	Ferguson, Porous Pavement (2005)
6	Weinstein, 2012
7	GMU Geotechnical
8	SR Designs Inc.
9	Twining Laboratories field testing

 

Since 1987 Soil Retention Products, Inc. has been manufacturing and distributing Plantable concrete systems®. Soil Retention’s product line includes Drivable Grass®, a permeable, flexible, and plantable concrete pavement system; Verdura®, a fully plantable retaining wall system; and Enviroflex®, a permeable and plantable ACB revetment system. www.soilretention.com