materials & resources ss we ea mreq id overview · mcgraw-hill recycling handbook by herb lund,...

LEED-NC Version 2.1 Reference Guide

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Overview

Building materials choices are importantin sustainable design because of the ex-tensive network of extraction, processingand transportation steps required to pro-cess them. Activities to create buildingmaterials pollute the air and water, de-stroy natural habitats and deplete naturalresources. Construction and demolitionwastes constitute about 40% of the totalsolid waste stream in the United States.

One of the most effective strategies forminimizing the environmental impacts ofmaterial use is to reuse existing buildings.Rehabilitation of existing building shellsand non-shell components reduces solidwaste volumes and diverts these waste vol-umes from landfills. It also reduces envi-ronmental impacts associated with theproduction and delivery of new buildingproducts. Reuse of an existing buildingminimizes habitat disturbance and typi-cally requires less infrastructure such asutilities and roads. An effective way touse salvaged non-shell components in newbuildings is to specify these materials inconstruction documents.

Materials & ResourcesWhen new materials are used in build-ings, it is important to consider differentsources. Salvaged materials can substitutefor new materials, save on material costsand perhaps add character to the build-ing. Recycled content materials reusewaste products that would otherwise bedeposited in landfills. The use of localmaterials supports the local economy andreduces the impacts of transportation.The use of rapidly renewable materialsand third-party certified wood minimizesthe impact of natural resource consump-tion to manufacture new building mate-rials.

Over the past decade or so, an increasingnumber of public and private waste man-agement operations have begun to reduceconstruction debris volumes by recyclingand reusing these materials. Recovery andrecycling activities typically involve jobsite separation into multiple bins or dis-posal areas. These activities can also takeplace off-site if space is not available onthe project site.

Overview of LEEDTM

Prerequisites andCredits

MR Prerequisite 1Storage & Collection ofRecyclables

MR Credit 1Building Reuse

MR Credit 2Construction WasteManagement

MR Credit 3Resource Reuse

MR Credit 4Recycled Content

MR Credit 5Local/RegionalMaterials

MR Credit 6Rapidly RenewableMaterials

MR Credit 7Certified Wood

There are 13 pointsavailable for theMaterials & Resourcescategory.

U.S. Green Building Council

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Overview


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Storage & Collection of Recyclables

Intent

Facilitate the reduction of waste generated by building occupants that is hauled to anddisposed of in landfills.

Requirements

Provide an easily accessible area that serves the entire building and is dedicated to theseparation, collection and storage of materials for recycling including (at a minimum)paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect or owner, declaringthat the area dedicated to recycling is easily accessible and accommodates thebuilding’s recycling needs.

❏ Provide a plan showing the area(s) dedicated to recycled material collection andstorage.

Summary of Referenced Standard

There is no standard referenced for this prerequisite.

Prerequisite 1

Required


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Synergies

SS Credit 2Urban Redevelopment

SS Credit 5Reduced SiteDisturbance


EQ Prerequisite 1Minimum IAQPerformance

EQ Credit 5Indoor Chemical &Pollutant Source Control

Green Building ConcernsRecycling has become an integral part ofU.S. culture in the past two decades.Curbside recycling is now a standard ser-vice in many urban communities. Recy-cling is also becoming the norm in otherparts of life. For instance, office workersrecycle paper, airlines recycle aluminumcans, and manufacturing facilities recyclescrap materials such as steel, plastic andwood. The majority of U.S. populationis inclined to recycle as long as the pro-cess is not too inconvenient or costly.Table 1 provides an estimate of solid wastegeneration for various building types.Occupant recycling rates vary by build-ing type.

As an example of the potential for occu-pant recycling, the waste stream of a largefederal office building was analyzed be-fore recycling efforts were employed. Theaverage weight of waste per employee was2.9 pounds per day. Many of the listedmaterials, if not all, could be recycled in-stead of landfilled. The results of thestudy are shown in Table 2.

The most effective method for promot-ing recycling activities is to create conve-nient opportunities for building occu-

pants to recycle. This includes designat-ing adequate space for recycling activitiesand storage of recyclable materials.

Environmental Issues

By creating convenient recycling opportuni-ties for building occupants, a significant por-tion of the solid waste stream can be divertedfrom landfills. Recycling of paper, metals, card-board and plastics reduces the need to extractvirgin natural resources. For example, recy-cling one ton of paper prevents the processingof 17 trees and saves three cubic yards of land-fill space. Recycled aluminum requires only5% of the energy required to produce virginaluminum from bauxite, its raw material.Recycling also reduces environmental impactsof waste in landfills. Land, water and air pol-lution impacts can all be reduced by minimiz-ing waste volumes sent to landfills.

Economic Issues

Recycling requires minimal initial costand offers significant savings in reducedlandfill disposal costs or tipping fees.However, recycling activities use floorspace that could be used otherwise. Inlarger buildings, processing equipmentsuch as can crushers and cardboard bal-ers are effective at minimizing the spacerequired for recycling activities.

Prerequisite 1

Building Type Amount of Solid Waste

Warehouses 1.5 lbs / 100 SF /day

Office Buildings 1 lb / 100 SF / day

Department Stores 3 lbs / 100 SF / day

Supermarkets 7 lbs / 100 SF / day

Restaurants 2 lbs / 100 SF / day

Drugstores 3 lbs / 100 SF / day

Cafeterias 0.5 to 0.75 lbs / meal

Clubs 1.5 lbs / meal

Hotels 2 lbs / room / day & 2 lbs / meal

Schools 6 lbs / room & 0.25 lbs / student / day

Hospitals 20 lbs / bed / day & 2 lbs / meal

Nursing Homes 4 lbs / person / day

Source: International Dynetics Corporation

Table 1: Solid Waste Generation Rates


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Community Issues

Many communities sponsor recycling pro-grams to encourage building owners and oc-cupants to reduce the amount of waste beingdeposited in landfills. Recycling efforts returnvaluable resources to the production processand provide more jobs versus landfilling. Somerecyclables provide revenue, although often notenough to offset the cost of collection and pro-cessing. The cumulative effects reduce depen-dence on virgin resources whose extraction maydestroy local and distant habitat areas. Higherrecycling rates also result in more stable mar-kets for recycled materials.

Design Approach

Strategies

In the design phase, designate well-markedcollection and storage areas for recyclablesincluding office paper, newspaper, card-board, glass, metals and plastics. Locate acentral collection and storage area in thebasement or on the ground level with easyaccess for collection vehicles. Size the col-lection and storage space to accommodaterecyclables storage. Research local recyclingefforts to find the best method of divertingrecyclable materials from the waste stream.

Provide instruction to occupants and mainte-nance personnel on recycling procedures.Encourage activities to reduce and reuse mate-

Prerequisite 1Recyclable Material

Percentage(by volume)

High-grade paper 39.6%

Low-grade paper 20.2%

Glass 11.8%

Miscellaneous paper 7.4%

Newsprint 7.0%

Food waste 2.9%

Cardboard 2.8%

Plastic 2.6%

Metal 1.8%

Other 3.9%

Commercial Building Square Footage

Minimum Recycling Area

[SF] [SF]

0 to 5,000 82

5,001 to 15,000 125

15,001 to 50,000 175

50,001 - 100,000 225

100,001 - 200,000 275

200,001 or more 500

rials before recycling in order to reduce theamount of recyclable volumes handled. Forinstance, building occupants can reduce thesolid waste stream by using reusable bottles,bags and other containers.

The City of Seattle passed an ordinanceto require minimum areas for recyclingand storage of recyclables in commercialbuildings. The ordinance is based on thetotal square footage of the building. Mini-mum areas for residential buildings werealso specified. Table 3 can be used as aguideline to size your recycling area. Notethat LEED does not require adherence tothese guidelines.

Technologies

In addition to providing sufficient and ac-cessible space for recycling, other devicesmay further facilitate recycling efforts.These include, but are not limited to, card-board balers, aluminum can crushers andrecycling chutes.

Synergies and Trade-Offs

Dense urban areas typically have recyclinginfrastructure in place, but additionalspace for collection and storage may becostly. It is possible that recyclable col-lection and storage space could increasethe building footprint in some instances.It is important to address possible indoorenvironmental quality (IEQ) impacts onbuilding occupants due to recycling ac-tivities. Those activities that create odors,noise and air contaminants should be iso-

Table 2: Sample Office Waste Characterization

Table 3: Recycling Area Guidelines


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Prerequisite 1

lated or performed during non-occupanthours to maintain optimal IEQ.

Resources

Web Sites

Business Resource Efficiency and WasteReduction

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/bizwaste, (916) 341-6615

A program from the California IntegratedWaste Management Board to assist in of-fice recycling and waste reduction efforts.

Earth’s 911

www.1800cleanup.org, (602) 224-5444

Information and education programs onrecycling as well as regional links to recy-clers.

Recycling at Work

www.usmayors.org/USCM/recycle, (202)293-7330

A program of the U.S. Conference ofMayors that provides information onworkplace recycling efforts.

Waste at Work

www.informinc.org/wasteatwork, (212)788-7900

An online document from Inform, Inc.,and the Council on the Environment ofNew York City on strategies and case stud-ies to reduce workplace waste generation.

Print Media

Composting and Recycling MunicipalSolid Waste by Luis Diaz et al., CRCPress, 1993.

McGraw-Hill Recycling Handbook byHerb Lund, McGraw-Hill, 2000.

Definitions

Recycling is the collection, reprocessing,marketing and use of materials that werediverted or recovered from the solid wastestream.

A Landfill is a waste disposal site for thedeposit of solid waste from human activi-ties.


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Building ReuseMaintain 75% of Existing Walls, Floors and Roof

Intent

Extend the life cycle of existing building stock, conserve resources, retain cultural re-sources, reduce waste and reduce environmental impacts of new buildings as they re-late to materials manufacturing and transport.

Requirements

Maintain at least 75% of existing building structure and shell (exterior skin and fram-ing, excluding window assemblies and non-structural roofing material).

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, listing the retained elements and declaring that the credit require-ments have been met.

Credit 1.1

1 point


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Credit 1.2 Building ReuseMaintain 100% of Existing Walls, Floors and Roof

Intent


Requirements

Maintain an additional 25% (100% total) of existing building structure and shell (ex-terior skin and framing, excluding window assemblies and non-structural roofing ma-terial).

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, demonstrating the retained elements and declaring that the creditrequirements have been met.

1 pointin addition to

MR 1.1


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Credit 1.3Building ReuseMaintain 100% of Shell/Structure and 50% of Non-Shell/Non-Structure

Intent


Requirements

Maintain 100% of existing building structure and shell (exterior skin and framing,excluding window assemblies and non-structural roofing material) AND at least 50%of non-shell areas (interior walls, doors, floor coverings and ceiling systems).

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, demonstrating the retained elements and declaring that the creditrequirements have been met.


There is no standard referenced for these credits.

1 pointin addition toMR 1.1 & 1.2


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Credit Synergies

SS Credit 4AlternativeTransportation

SS Credit 5Reduced SiteDisturbance

SS Credit 6StormwaterManagement

SS Credit 7Landscape & ExteriorDesign to ReduceHeat Islands

SS Credit 8Light PollutionReduction

WE Credit 1Water EfficientLandscaping

WE Credit 2Innovative WastewaterTreatment

WE Credit 3Water Use Reduction

EA Prerequisite 2Minimum EnergyPerformance

EA Prerequisite 3CFC Reduction inHVAC&R Equipment

EA Credit 1Optimize EnergyPerformance

EA Credit 4Ozone Depletion

MR Prerequisite 1Storage & Collection ofRecyclables

MR Credit 2Construction WasteManagement

EQ Credit 5Indoor Chemical &Pollutant Source Control

EQ Credit 6Controllability ofSystems

EQ Credit 8Daylight & Views

Green Building ConcernsMany opportunities exist to rehabilitateexisting buildings. Commercial real estatecompanies often rehabilitate old industrialbuildings to take advantage of prime loca-tion, lower building costs and desirablebuilding characteristics.


Reusing the building shell and non-shellcomponents of an existing building sig-nificantly reduces construction waste vol-umes leaving the project site. Reuse strat-egies also reduce environmental impactsassociated with raw material extraction,manufacture and transportation of newor recycled materials. Building reuse mini-mizes habitat disturbance associated withdeveloping on a greenfield site and typi-cally requires less new infrastructure de-velopment for utilities and roads.

Economic Issues

Reuse of an existing structural shell de-pends on many factors including struc-tural and material integrity, building codecompliance, fire and safety compliance,adaptability to the new building program,possible contamination issues, and energyand environmentally efficient retrofit con-siderations. A critical review of all theseelements is necessary to determine theadvantages of reuse versus demolition.

Reuse of an existing building can reducethe first costs of building substantially.For instance, the Southern California GasCompany reused an existing building forits Energy Resource Center and estimateda savings of approximately $3.2 million,based on typical first costs for a 44,000-square-foot building. The largest savingswere realized in masonry (87% savings),site work (57% savings), concrete (49%savings) and carpentry (70% savings).

Community Issues

The character of a neighborhood is oftendefined by existing historic buildings.

Building reuse maintains the vital linkbetween neighborhoods of the past andpresent. Building reuse can often shortenconstruction periods and reduce noise andtraffic disruptions in the neighborhood.

Design Approach

Strategies

Research the potential reuse of an exist-ing building’s structural shell in the earlydesign phase of the project and create alist of benefits and drawbacks of such ascheme. Determine if programming andspace planning can be accommodated inthe existing building structure. If reuseof the structural shell is not possible, con-sider preserving the facade, particularly inurban areas.

The building envelope has a significantimpact on energy performance and opera-tional costs over the lifetime of the build-ing. Evaluate the building’s structural in-tegrity and skin, functional suitability, codecompliance, historic and cultural signifi-cance, and adaptability. In addition, con-sider the environmental attributes of thebuilding, surrounding site and structuralshell. Examples of environmental attributesinclude solar benefits or drawbacks, trans-portation access, existing air quality levels,and the possibility for upgrading outdatedbuilding components such as insulation andglazing. Identify asbestos, lead-based paintand other contaminants in the building andapply required or appropriate removal orisolation measures.

Technologies

Consider upgrading outdated compo-nents with new components that can en-hance energy efficiency, water efficiencyand indoor environmental quality. Build-ing systems to consider for upgrade in-clude HVAC systems, plumbing systems,insulation and windows.

Credit 1


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The location of the existing building deter-mines the neighborhood density, brownfieldstatus and transportation options. Siteamenities may or may not exist forstormwater control and site lighting. Pre-served site surfaces such as roofs and park-ing lots may contribute to urban heat is-land effects. The existing plumbing andirrigation systems may not have the flex-ibility to allow for potable water use reduc-tion, wastewater generation reduction, andstormwater reuse.

The energy performance of buildings ishighly dependent on the building enve-lope and HVAC and lighting systems. Forinstance, an existing building with mini-mal insulation will tend to exhibit lower

Credit 1

energy performance than a new buildingwith state-of-art wall construction. Theexisting building orientation may pre-clude the use of passive solar gains or maylack shading devices to prevent unwantedsolar gain and glare.

Reusing a building also reduces the amountof solid waste leaving the project site. Thus,building elements qualifying for this creditcan also be applied to MR Credit 2: Con-struction Waste Management. If a portionof a building’s structure, shell or non-shellcomponents are reused but this effort doesnot meet the minimum levels as stated inthis credit, apply these reuse activities to MRCredit 2.

Existing buildings may have space con-straints and may not be able to provide ad-

Figure 1: Example Reuse of Building

structure - foundation

shell - walls

shell - roof

interior - floors

interior - partitions

interior - ceiling

structure - columns & beams


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Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Inorder to qualify for this point, the exist-ing building must undergo a substantialrenovation. If the project includes an ad-dition that is greater than 50% of the ex-isting building’s square footage, it is con-sidered a new building and is thus ineli-gible for the building reuse credit. In suchcases, the reused building materials shouldbe included as part of MR Credit 2.

To calculate the percentage of reusedbuilding structure, consider structural el-ements such as footings, slabs on grade,stem walls, columns, beams, exterior wallsections and diaphragms, as well as shellelements such as brick cladding, roofingand siding (see Equations 1 and 2).

Quantify structural elements in terms ofcubic feet (CF) and shell elements in terms

Credit 1

of square feet (SF). Do not include doorsand similar elements. (Apply the environ-mental benefits of reusing these elementsto MR Credit 2: Construction Waste Man-agement.) If an item that cannot be reusedfor its original function is reprocessed (onor off the site) and installed for a differentuse, it can be counted toward MR Credit3: Resource Reuse. Wood beams that areremilled for a similar use, for instance,would be applicable to this credit. Demol-ished concrete that is crushed on site foruse as structural fill would also be appli-cable to MR Credit 3.

Once the structural and shell reuse per-centages have been determined, add thesetwo percentages together and divide bytwo to obtain the approximate percent-age of the total building that is being re-used (see Equation 3).

To calculate the percentage of reused non-shell building portions, consider all walls,doors, floor coverings and ceiling systems.Quantify the elements in terms of squarefeet and divide the reused elements by theexisting total square footage of walls,doors, floor coverings and ceiling systemsto obtain the percentage of reused non-shell building elements (see Equation 4).

Tables 1, 2 and 3 summarize an examplebuilding reuse project where both struc-tural elements as well as non-shell (i.e.,interior) elements were reused. The

Equation 1:

Equation 2:

Equation 3:

Equation 4:

]CF[ElementsTotal

]CF[ElementsusedRe[%]Structural

useRe=

]SF[ElementsTotal

]SF[ElementsusedRe[%]

ShelluseRe

=

( )2

[%]useReShell[%]useReStructural[%]

BuildinguseRe

+=

]SF[ElementsTotal

]SF[ElementsusedRe[%]

ShellNonuseRe

=−


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Credit 1

Table 1: Structural Elements Reuse Example

Table 2: Shell Elements Reuse Example

Structural Element Existing ReusedPercentage

Reused

[CF] [CF] [%]

Foundation / Slab on Grade 11,520 11,520 100%

Columns 500 500 100%

Beams 250 250 100%

Basement Wall 500 500 100%

Floor Decks 250 250 100%

Diaphragms 1,507 1,507 100%

Roof Deck 1,507 1,507 100%

TOTALS 16,034 16,034 100%

Shell Element Existing ReusedPercentage

Reused

[SF] [SF] [%]

Roofing 1,000 1,000 100%

North Exterior Wall 8,235 8,235 100%

East Exterior Wall 6,950 6,950 100%

South Exterior Wall 8,235 8,235 100%

West Exterior Wall 6,950 6,950 100%

TOTAL 31,370 31,370 100%

Table 3: Interior Elements Reuse Example

Interior Element Existing ReusedPercentage

Reused

[SF] [SF] [%]

Ceilings 40,000 0 0%

Wood Flooring 40,000 40,000 100%

Other Flooring 500 250 50%

Floor Coverings 500 250 50%

Walls 500 250 50%

Wall Panels 29,600 18,800 64%

Other 29,600 18,800 64%

TOTAL 140,700 78,350 56%

spreadsheet indicates that 100% of thestructure and exterior shell was reused and56% of the non-shell interior componentswere reused. This qualifies for threepoints under this credit.

Resources

Web Sites

Sustainable Communities Network CaseStudiesw w w. s m a r t g r o w t h . o r g / l i b r a r y /typelist.asp, (202) 328-8160

Several deconstruction and reuse case studies.


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Credit 1

Print Media

Adaptive Reuse: Issues and Case Studiesin Building Preservation by Richard Aus-tin and David Woodstock, Van NostrandReinhold Company, 1987.

Case Study

KSBA Architects Office BuildingPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The KSBA Architects office building is a LEED™ Certified Pi-lot Project located in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. Theentire shell of the 1888 building was reused as well as 90% ofinterior millwork. New components were installed to update theinterior spaces, including a raised access floor with HVAC andmodular cabling, indirect lighting and ergonomics. The build-ing now serves as a state-of-the-art information and technologyheadquarters for an architectural firm.

OwnerKSBA Architects

Courtesy of KSBA Architects


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Construction Waste ManagementDivert 50% From Landfill

Intent

Divert construction, demolition and land clearing debris from landfill disposal. Redi-rect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process. Redirect reus-able materials to appropriate sites.

Requirements

Develop and implement a waste management plan, quantifying material diversiongoals. Recycle and/or salvage at least 50% of construction, demolition and land clear-ing waste. Calculations can be done by weight or volume, but must be consistentthroughout.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, tabulating the total waste material, quantities diverted and themeans by which diverted, and declaring that the credit requirements have beenmet.

Credit 2.1

1 point


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Credit 2.2 Construction Waste ManagementDivert 75% From Landfill

Intent

Divert construction, demolition and land clearing debris from landfill disposal. Redi-rect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process. Redirect reus-able materials to appropriate sites.

Requirements

Develop and implement a waste management plan, quantifying material diversiongoals. Recycle and/or salvage an additional 25% (75% total) of construction, demoli-tion and land clearing waste. Calculations can be done by weight or volume, but mustbe consistent throughout.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, tabulating the total waste material, quantities diverted and themeans by which diverted, and declaring that the credit requirements have beenmet.


There is no standard referenced for this credit.


MR 2.1


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IDEASS WE MR EQGreen Building ConcernsConstruction and demolition (C&D) activi-ties generate enormous quantities of solid waste.The U.S. EPA estimates that 136 million tonsof C&D debris (versus 209.7 million tons ofmunicipal solid waste) was generated in1996—57% of it from non-residential con-struction, renovation and demolition activi-ties. This equates to 2.8 pounds per capita perday.

Commercial construction generates be-tween 2 and 2.5 pounds of solid wasteper square foot, and the majority of thiswaste can potentially be recycled. TheCity of Portland, Oregon, has institutedprograms to reduce solid waste generationand promote recyclable material markets.In 1993, the city was successful in divert-ing 47% of all construction and demoli-tion waste from landfills. In one project,76% of the waste from the constructionof a 5,000-square-foot restaurant was di-verted from landfilling (61% was recy-clable or reusable wood, 11% was card-board, and 4% was gypsum wallboard).

Recycling opportunities are expandingrapidly in many communities. Metal,vegetation, concrete and asphalt recyclingopportunities have long been availableand economical in most communities. Pa-per, corrugated cardboard, plastics andclean wood markets vary by regional andlocal recycling infrastructure, but are re-cycled in most communities. Some ma-terials, such as gypsum wallboard, haverecycling opportunities only in commu-nities where reprocessing plants exist. Therecyclability of a demolished material isoften dependant on the amount of con-tamination attached to it. Demolishedwood, for instance, is often not reusableor recyclable unless it is deconstructed andde-nailed.

A construction and demolition debrisstudy conducted during one week in 1994in Des Moines, Iowa is presented in Table1. Data include debris from construc-

tion, renovation and demolition activities.While this example is a potential scenario,it should be noted that the compositionof C&D debris is highly variable and de-pends on the geographic location and typeof activity. Cardboard, for instance, ismore prevalent during construction ac-tivities.


Recycling of construction and demolitiondebris reduces demand for virgin re-sources, and, in turn, reduces the envi-ronmental impacts associated with re-source extraction, processing and, inmany cases, transportation. Landfills con-taminate groundwater and encroach uponvaluable green space. Through effectiveconstruction waste management, it is pos-sible to extend the lifetime of existinglandfills, avoiding the need for expansionor new landfill sites.

Economic Issues

In the past, when landfill capacity wasreadily available and disposal fees werelow, recycling or reuse of constructionwaste was not economically feasible.Construction materials were inexpensivecompared to the cost of labor and, thus,construction jobsite managers focused on

Credit 2

Table 1: CDL Waste Stream Characterizations

MaterialPercentage(by volume)

Concrete

Wood

Drywall

Metal

Roofing

Brick

Cardboard

Miscellaneous

28.8

20.6

14.0

11.2

7.7

6.2

3.5

8.0

Adapted from Brickner, Robert, GB&B Inc., “Identifying C&D Debris Markets.” Scrap Processing, March/April 1995.

Credit Synergies


SS Credit 3BrownfieldRedevelopment


EQ Credit 3Construction IAQManagement Plan


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IDEASS WE EQMR worker productivity rather than materi-als conservation. In addition, recyclinginfrastructure and materials marketplacesto process and resell construction debrisdid not exist. In recent years, increasedmaterials and disposal costs coupled withmore stringent waste disposal regulationsand decreasing landfill capacity havechanged the waste management equation.Local government agencies and privateorganizations have partnered with theindustry to support construction wastemanagement by publishing guides, direc-tories and other educational materials;presenting recycling information at semi-nars and workshops; and operating pilotprojects to demonstrate the feasibility andcost-effectiveness of these activities.

Waste management plans require time andmoney to draft and implement but they canguide a project to achieve substantial sav-ings throughout the construction process.Projects that recycle construction and demo-lition debris benefit from lower tipping fees.

As landfill tipping fees continue to esca-late, the option to recycle becomes moreeconomically attractive. As a rule ofthumb, when landfill tipping fees exceed$50 per ton, recycling becomes cost-ef-fective. Local governments sometimesinflate tipping fees artificially to encour-age greater recycling efforts.

Recyclable materials have differing mar-ket values depending on the presence of

local recycling facilities, reprocessing costsand the availability of virgin materials onthe market. In general, it is economicallybeneficial to recycle metals, concrete, as-phalt and cardboard—to receive revenueas well as to avoid paying a landfill tip-ping fee. Market values normally fluctu-ate from month to month. When no rev-enue is received for materials—often thecase for scrap wood and gypsum wall-board—smaller rewards can come frompossibly shorter hauling distances andavoiding landfill tipping fees.

Some materials can be reprocessed andreused on site. For instance, grinding de-molished concrete for use as structural fillcan provide excellent savings versus haul-ing debris away and purchasing gravel.

Community Issues

The conventional approach to construc-tion waste is to remove all wastes fromthe site and start with a “clean slate.” Inrecent years, construction waste strategieshave dictated more thoughtful planningand scheduling of solid waste streams.Reusing existing structures anddeconstructed materials on-site can re-duce disruption to the community byminimizing truck traffic. Recycling sup-ports local processing facilities, createsjobs and reduces the need for additionallandfill capacity. Salvage may include thedonation of materials to charitable orga-nizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

Credit 2

Table 2: Construction Materials Being Recycled

Materials

Land clearing debris Asphalt shingles

Clean dimensional wood Paint

Plywood, OSB, & particle board Window glass

Concrete Carpet & carpet pad

Asphaltic concrete Plastic film

Concrete masonry units (CMUs) Polystyrene

Bricks High density polyethylene (HDPE)

Gysum wallboard Cardboard, paper, & packaging

Rigid foam insulation


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Strategies

Minimize factors that contribute to wastesuch as over-packaging, improper storage,ordering errors, poor planning, breakage,mishandling, and contamination of con-struction materials. For waste volumesgenerated, identify and institute reuse,salvage and recycle opportunities when-ever economics and logistics allow. Table2 is a list of materials that are being re-cycled in various places around the UnitedStates.

Develop and institute a constructionwaste management plan that identifiesproposed deconstruction and salvage op-portunities, on-site reprocessing and re-use opportunities, recommended recy-cling activities, licensed haulers and pro-cessors of recyclables, and potential mar-kets for salvaged materials. The planshould include estimated costs associatedwith recycling, salvaging and reusing ma-terials and should also address source re-duction of materials use.

On the construction site, designate an areaspecifically for construction and demoli-tion waste recycling. Train site workerson the proper recycling protocol and la-bel recyclable containers effectively. In-stitute monthly reporting and feedbackon the waste management plan to assessprogress and address any problems. Postthis information for all construction per-sonnel to read. Provide signs in the na-tive language(s) of the workers.


Project sites in urban areas may have littleor no space available for waste separationactivities. Recycling areas should be cho-sen wisely to avoid contaminating

stormwater runoff volumes and to pro-tect stockpiled recyclable materials fromthe elements.

If the project is reusing a building, the ma-terials preserved can be applied to this creditas well as to MR Credit 1. The waste man-agement plan should address constructionarea housekeeping to avoid the contamina-tion of the building and subsequent impactson indoor air quality.

Materials included in MR Credits 3, 4,5, 6 and 7 cannot be applied to this credit.

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Usea spreadsheet to track the weights of con-struction wastes that are landfilled and theweight of construction, demolition andland clearing (CDL) wastes that are re-cycled. To calculate the recycling percent-age, use Equation 1. Calculations can bedone by weight or volume, but must beconsistent throughout. Do not includehazardous waste and excavation soil in thecalculations.

Tables 3 and 4 demonstrate waste calcu-lations for an example project. Theproject recycled concrete, steel, wood,cardboard, gypsum wallboard, masonryand land clearing debris. An estimated245.5 tons of waste were recycled while43.7 tons were sent to the landfill. Thisresults in a recycling rate of 85%, whichqualifies for two points under this credit.

Typically, waste containers are sized byvolume and these volumes are weighed atthe materials recovery facility or landfill.To assist in calculations, Table 5 providesestimates to convert waste materials fromvolume to weight.

Credit 2

Equation 1:

GarbageWastecycledRe

WastecycledRe[%]

cyclingReRate +

=


204

IDEASS WE EQMR

Resources

Web Sites

Construction and Demolition WasteRecycling Information

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/ConDemo, (916)341-6499

A program by the California IntegratedWaste Management Board including casestudies, fact sheets and links.

Credit 2

Table 3: Recycled Materials Example

Table 5: Solid Waste Conversion Factors

Table 4: Landfills Materials Example

Recycled and Salvaged Materials

Weight

[tons]

Concrete 138.0

Land Clearing Debris 56.2

Wood 19.6

Gypsum Wallboard 9.5

Masonry 9.4

Cardboard 7.2

Steel 3.1

Furniture 2.5

TOTAL 245.5

Garbage Weight

[tons]

Miscellaneous Garbage 43.7

TOTAL 43.7

Rubble 1,400

Steel 1,000

Mixed Waste 350

Gypsum Wallboard 500

Cardboard 100

Material Density

[lbs/CY]

Wood 300

Construction Materials Recycling Asso-ciation

www.cdrecycling.org

A nonprofit dedicated to information ex-change within the North American con-struction waste and demolition debrisprocessing and recycling industry.

Construction Waste Management Hand-book

w w w. s m a r t g r o w t h . o r g / l i b r a r y /articles.asp?art=15, (202) 328-8160

A report by the NAHB Research Centeron residential construction waste manage-ment for a housing development inHomestead, Florida.

Contractors’ Guide to Preventing Wasteand Recycling

w w w . r e s o u r c e v e n t u r e . o r g /publications.htm, (206) 389-7304

A guidebook on waste prevention in con-struction from the Business and IndustryResource Venture.

Government Resources

Check with the solid waste and naturalresources departments in your city orcounty. Many local governments provideinformation about regional recycling op-portunities.

Recycling and Waste Management Dur-ing Construction

www.metrokc.gov/procure/green/wastemgt.htm

Specification language from City of Se-attle and Portland Metro projects on con-struction waste management.

Sustainable Building Sourcebook

www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/ConstructionWaste.html

A guide to construction waste manage-ment from the Sustainable BuildingSourcebook.


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Credit 2

U.S. EPA – Environmental Specifica-tions for Research Triangle Park

www.epa.gov/rtp/new-bldg/environmen-tal/specs.htm, (919) 541-0249

Waste management and other specifica-tions.

Waste Spec: Model Specifications forConstruction Waste Reduction, Reuseand Recycling

www.tjcog.dst.nc.us/cdwaste.htm, (919)558-9343

Model specifications developed by Tri-angle J Council of Governments in NorthCarolina. Ten case studies show results ofusing the specifications.

Case Study

The Aspen Skiing Company Sundeck RestaurantAspen, Colorado

The Aspen Skiing Company Sundeck Restaurant is a LEED™Bronze Pilot Project that is located atop Aspen Mountain. The projectteam adopted a construction waste management plan and institutedrigorous “grass roots” construction waste management efforts thatresulted in the diversion of 84% of construction waste materialsfrom the landfill. The existing building was deconstructed, andbeams, doors, fixtures, appliances, furniture and other valuable itemswere sold at a yard sale. Steel was segregated from the constructionwaste stream and recycled. Wood and gypsum wallboard were groundon-site and reused as compost. Finally, the existing foundation wasprocessed on-site and reused as fill material. Overall, these measuressignificantly reduced hauling trips to the landfill and resulted inproject savings of $35,000.

OwnerThe Aspen Skiing Company

Courtesy of The Aspen Skiing Company

Definitions

Construction, demolition and land clear-ing (CDL) debris includes waste andrecyclables generated from construction,land clearing (e.g., vegetation, but notsoil), renovation, and demolition ordeconstruction of pre-existing structures.

Recycling is the collection, reprocessing,marketing and use of materials that werediverted or recovered from the solid wastestream.

Reuse is a strategy to return materials toactive use in the same or a related capac-ity.

Tipping Fees are fees charged by a land-fill for disposal of waste volumes. Thefee is typically quoted for one ton of waste.


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Credit 2


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Resource Reuse5%

Intent

Reuse building materials and products in order to reduce demand for virgin materialsand to reduce waste, thereby reducing impacts associated with the extraction and pro-cessing of virgin resources.

Requirements

Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials, products and furnishings for at least 5%of building materials.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, declaring that the credit requirements have been met and listingeach material or product used to meet the credit. Include details demonstratingthat the project incorporates the required percentage of reused materials and prod-ucts and showing their costs and the total cost of materials for the project.

Credit 3.1

1 point


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Resource Reuse10%

Intent

Reuse building materials and products in order to reduce demand for virgin materialsand to reduce waste, thereby reducing impacts associated with the extraction and pro-cessing of virgin resources.

Requirements

Use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials, products and furnishings for at least10% of building materials.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, declaring that the credit requirements have been met and listingeach material or product used to meet the credit. Include details demonstratingthat the project incorporates the required percentage of reused materials and prod-ucts and showing their costs and the total cost of all materials for the project.



Credit 3.2


MR 3.1


209

IDEASS WE MR EQGreen Building ConcernsUse of salvaged and refurbished materialsin new building projects extends the lifeof materials and can reduce overall firstcosts of construction materials. Use ofsalvaged materials can also add characterto the building and can be used effectivelyas architectural details. Some areas of theUnited States, such as New England, thePacific Northwest, and California, havewell-developed markets for salvaged ma-terials while other regions are just begin-ning to develop these markets.


Reuse strategies divert material from theconstruction waste stream, reducing theneed for landfill space and the associatedwater and air contamination issues. Useof salvaged materials eliminates environ-mental impacts of producing new con-struction and product materials. Theseimpacts are significant since buildings ac-count for a large portion of our use ofnatural resources, including 40% of rawstone, gravel and sand, and 25% of vir-gin wood.

Economic Issues

Some salvaged materials are more costlythan new materials due to the high cost oflabor involved in recovering and refurbish-ing processes. However, salvaged materialsare often of higher quality and more du-rable than available new materials. Localdemolition companies may be willing to sellmaterials recovered from existing buildingsto avoid landfill tipping fees and to gener-ate income. In some areas, municipalitiesand waste management companies haveestablished facilities to sell salvaged build-ing material sales at landfill sites.

Sometimes salvaged materials are offeredat prices that appear to be cost-effectivebut may include hidden costs such as theneed for reprocessing, exorbitant trans-portation costs or liabilities associatedwith toxic contamination.

Conversely, certain salvaged materials maybe impossible to duplicate (such as turn-of-the century lumber and casework) andmay well be worth the higher cost com-pared to new but inferior materials.

Community Issues

By reusing locally obtained salvaged ma-terials, local salvage businesses are sup-ported. Also, saving landfill capacity ben-efits the community through lower tip-ping fees and fewer landfill sites overall.

Design Approach

Strategies

Develop a reuse strategy early in the sche-matic design phase to incorporate salvagedand refurbished building materials and setsalvaged materials goals. For instance,state that a minimum of 50% of all floorsurfaces will be salvaged. Identify localsources for salvaged or refurbished build-ing materials and products. It may behelpful to create and maintain a currentlist of the salvage material suppliers to useon other projects.

Commonly salvaged or refurbished build-ing materials and products include struc-tural elements such as beams and posts,wood flooring, wood paneling, doors andframes, cabinetry and furniture, brick andother masonry products, and decorativeitems such as mantels, ironwork and an-tique light fixtures. Research all salvagedand refurbished materials for durability,performance, code compliance and envi-ronmental considerations. Do not con-sider items that generally should not besalvaged and reused, such as toilets (oldermodels consume more water) and win-dows (older styles are less energy efficient).

When considering salvaged structural ma-terials such as heavy timbers, it is impera-tive to check for structural integrity, codecompliance and engineered rating to com-ply with building codes for structural re-

Credit 3


210

IDEASS WE EQMR quirements. Also investigate salvaged ma-terials for possible contamination by leadpaint, asbestos, pesticides and rot.


The availability of salvaged materials willdepend on the location of the project site.Building projects in urban areas oftenhave many opportunities to use salvagedmaterials. These materials can be appliedto MR Credit 5 if the materials complywith the requirements of the credit. Sal-vaged materials cannot be applied to MRCredits 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7.

A material salvaged during a buildingrenovation can be applied to this creditonly if it can no longer serve its originalfunction and has been reprocessed andinstalled for a different use. Materials thatwill be reinstalled to serve in their origi-nal function must be applied to MRCredit 1.3, Building Reuse. On a projectsite where an existing building is beingdemolished or deconstructed, the mate-rial that is salvaged on-site and installedin the new building can be used to com-ply with this credit.

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Tocalculate the percentage of salvaged ma-terials used on a project, use the LEEDLetter Template’s spreadsheet to list allmaterials and products used on the projectand their associated costs. Identify thosebuilding materials that are salvaged anduse Equation 1 to determine the salvagepercentage for the project.

The salvaged or refurbished status of eachmaterial must be validated by a statementfrom the provider of that material, in case

this credit is audited. If major mechani-cal, plumbing and/or electrical compo-nents are part of the salvaged materialscontributing to credit compliance, thenadd mechanical, plumbing and/or elec-trical material costs in the calculation (nu-merator and denominator). If the cost ofthe salvaged or refurbished material isbelow market value, use replacement costto estimate the material value. For ex-ample, if reclaimed plywood is used in theproject at a cost of $15 per sheet and newplywood costs $25 per sheet, use the newcost in salvage and reuse calculations.

A sample calculation for salvaged buildingmaterials is presented in Table 1. Salvagedmaterials in this example include brick andreclaimed wood. The material costs of theseitems are totaled and divided by the totalmaterial cost for the project. The totalmaterials cost figure may be derived from adefault calculation (45% of total construc-tion cost) or a tally of actual material costs.The sample project has chosen the latter.The resulting percentage of 5.68% quali-fies for one point under this credit.

Resources

Web Sites

California Materials Exchange

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/CalMAX, (877) 520-9703

A program of the California IntegratedWaste Management Board, this exchangeallows users to exchange waste items online.


Check with the solid waste and natural re-sources departments in your city or county.Many local governments provide informa-tion about regional materials exchanges andother sources.

Credit 3

Credit Synergies


SS Credit 3BrownfieldRedevelopment



Equation 1:

[$]CostMaterialsTotal

[$]CostMaterialsSalvaged[%]

SalvageRate

=


211

IDEASS WE MR EQGuide to Resource-Efficient BuildingElements

www.crbt.org, (406) 549-7678

The Center for Resourceful BuildingTechnology’s directory of environmentallyresponsible building products. This re-source provides introductory discussionsper topic and contact information forspecific products, including salvaged ma-terials.

Materials Exchanges on the Web

www.metrokc.gov/hazwaste/imex/exchanges.html, (206) 296-4899

A listing of materials exchanges on theWeb.

Reuse Development Organization(ReDO)

www.redo.org, (317) 631-5395

A national nonprofit located in India-napolis, Indiana, that promotes reuse asan environmentally sound, socially ben-eficial and economical means of manag-ing surplus and discarded materials. Seethe List of ReDO Subscribers for contactsaround the United States.

Salvaged Building Materials Exchange

www.greengu ide . com/exchange /search.html

A searchable database of salvaged build-ing materials.

Credit 3

Table 1: Letter Template Spreadsheet Example for Resource Reuse

Sub-total salvaged or reused

Salvaged and reused materials as a percentage of total materials cost

Product Name

Reclaimed WoodBrick (salvaged)

Product CostCompany Name

Provide total construction cost

2,879,744$

for 45% default total materials value; OR

Provide total materials cost (exclude labor, equipment)

5.68%

163,700$

Salvage Company 130,000$ Salvage Company 33,700$

Used Building Materials Association

www.ubma.org, (877) 221-UBMA

UBMA is a nonprofit, membership-basedorganization that represents companies andorganizations involved in the acquisitionand/or redistribution of used building ma-terials.

Used Building Materials Exchange

www.build.recycle.net, (519) 767-2913

A free marketplace for buying and sellingrecyclables and salvaged materials.

Definitions

Chain-of-Custody is a tracking procedureto document the status of a product fromthe point of harvest or extraction to theultimate consumer end use.

Salvaged Materials are construction ma-terials recovered from existing buildingsor construction sites and reused in otherbuildings. Common salvaged materialsinclude structural beams and posts, floor-ing, doors, cabinetry, brick and decora-tive items. See the Synergies section formore LEED-related details.


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Credit 3

Case Study

Philips Eco-Enterprise CenterMinneapolis, Minnesota

The Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center is a mixed-use building thathouses environmental and energy efficiency organizations, con-sultants and manufacturers. The building incorporates manyreused building materials such as bricks, sinks, fire extinguishercabinets, furniture, doors and windows. In addition, the struc-tural members of the building consist of 189 reused steel joistsfrom a demolished warehouse. Reuse of these joists saved anestimated 50 tons of steel and 110 million BTUs of energy thatwould have been needed for the building design. Finally, thebuilding was designed for disassembly in the future. For example,the fire exit stair tower was designed to be disassembled, movedand reassembled. Also, the high-bay manufacturing space wasdesigned for conversion to two floors of office space if needed byfuture tenants.

OwnerThe Green Institute


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Recycled Content5% (post-consumer + 1/2 post-industrial)

Intent

Increase demand for building products that incorporate recycled content materials,therefore reducing impacts resulting from extraction and processing of new virginmaterials.

Requirements

Use materials with recycled content such that the sum of post-consumer recycled con-tent plus one-half of the post-industrial content constitutes at least 5% of the totalvalue of the materials in the project.

The value of the recycled content portion of a material or furnishing shall be deter-mined by dividing the weight of recycled content in the item by the total weight of allmaterial in the item, then multiplying the resulting percentage by the total value of theitem.

Mechanical and electrical components shall not be included in this calculation. Re-cycled content materials shall be defined in accordance with the Federal Trade Com-mission document, Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, 16 CFR260.7 (e), available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Establish a project goal for recycled content materials and identify material suppliersthat can achieve this goal. During construction, ensure that the specified recycled con-tent materials are installed and quantify the total percentage of recycled content mate-rials installed.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, declaring that the credit requirements have been met and listingthe recycled content products used. Include details demonstrating that theproject incorporates the required percentage of recycled content materials and prod-ucts and showing their cost and percentage(s) of post-consumer and/or post-in-dustrial content, and the total cost of all materials for the project.

Credit 4.1

1 point


214

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Credit 4.2 Recycled Content10% (post-consumer + 1/2 post-industrial)

Intent

Increase demand for building products that incorporate/have incorporated recycledcontent materials, therefore reducing the impacts resulting from extraction and pro-cessing of new virgin materials.

Requirements

Use materials with recycled content such that the sum of post-consumer recycled con-tent plus one-half of the post-industrial content constitutes at least 10% of the totalvalue of the materials in the project.

The value of the recycled content portion of a material or furnishing shall be deter-mined by dividing the weight of recycled content in the item by the total weight of allmaterial in the item, then multiplying the resulting percentage by the total value of theitem.

Mechanical and electrical components shall not be included in this calculation. Re-cycled content materials shall be defined in accordance with the Federal Trade Com-mission document, Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, 16 CFR260.7 (e), available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or other re-sponsible party, declaring that the credit requirements have been met and listingthe recycled content products used. Include details demonstrating that the projectincorporates the required percentage of recycled content materials and productsand showing their cost and percentage(s) of post-consumer and/or post-industrialcontent, and the total cost of all materials for the project.


FTC Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, 16 CFR 260.7 (e)

www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm

According to the guide: “A recycled content claim may be made only for materials thathave been recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream, either duringthe manufacturing process (pre-consumer), or after consumer use (post-consumer). Tothe extent the source of recycled content includes pre-consumer material, the manu-facturer or advertiser must have substantiation for concluding that the pre-consumermaterial would otherwise have entered the solid waste stream. In asserting a recycledcontent claim, distinctions may be made between pre-consumer and post-consumermaterials. Where such distinctions are asserted, any express or implied claim about thespecific pre-consumer or post-consumer content of a product or package must be sub-stantiated.


MR 4.1


215

IDEASS WE MR EQ“It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package ismade of recycled material, which includes recycled raw material, as well as used, recon-ditioned and remanufactured components. Unqualified claims of recycled content maybe made if the entire product or package, excluding minor, incidental components, ismade from recycled material. For products or packages that are only partially made ofrecycled material, a recycled claim should be adequately qualified to avoid consumerdeception about the amount, by weight, of recycled content in the finished product orpackage. Additionally, for products that contain used, reconditioned or remanufacturedcomponents, a recycled claim should be adequately qualified to avoid consumer de-ception about the nature of such components. No such qualification would be neces-sary in cases where it would be clear to consumers from the context that a product’srecycled content consists of used, reconditioned or remanufactured components.”

See the FTC document for illustrative examples.

Credit 4.2


216

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Credit Synergies


EQ Credit 4Low-Emitting Materials

Green Building ConcernsRecycled content building products con-tain feedstock materials recovered fromconsumers or industrial waste streams.These products are beneficial to the envi-ronment because they reduce virgin ma-terial use and solid waste volumes. Thenumber of building products containingrecycled content feedstocks continues togrow every year as recycling efforts increaseand the marketplace for recycled materi-als develops. Many commonly used prod-ucts are now available with recycled con-tent. These products include metals, con-crete, masonry, acoustic tile, carpet, ce-ramic tile and insulation. Most recycledcontent products exhibit performancesimilar to products containing virgin ma-terials and can be incorporated into build-ing projects with ease.


By selecting materials with recycled con-tent, environmental impacts associatedwith extracting, harvesting and manufac-turing virgin materials are often reduced.The solid waste stream is also reduced bydiverting recyclable materials that wouldotherwise be deposited in a landfill, withassociated impacts to land, water and airalso lessened. The total environmentalbenefits of material recycling are gener-ally less than that of material reuse be-cause of the environmental burdens asso-ciated with recyclable materials collection,transport and processing into new prod-ucts. Therefore, reuse of building materi-als (MR Credits 1 and 3) is preferred overrecycling when possible.

Economic Issues

Some recycled content products cost morethan equivalent virgin products due to theexpenses of research and design, innova-tive manufacturing equipment and newplants to produce the products, as well asthe actual costs of the recycling process.As demand for recycled products in the

building market continues to grow, thecosts for these items will become com-petitive with standard products. ThisLEED credit favors post-consumer re-cycled content because there is greaterneed and value in stimulating the post-consumer recycling market. Some re-cycled products may not be as widelyavailable as conventional products.

Design Approach

Strategies

Consider the incorporation of recycledcontent building materials in the earlystages of project design and identify re-cycled content materials goals. Identifythe types of materials for which recycledalternatives exist and then identify spe-cific products.

Recycled content materials are buildingproducts that include components thathave recycled content and are processedoff-site. Materials from the site that areprocessed for reuse on the site, such ascrushed brick, asphalt and concrete, arenot defined as recycled content materialsin this context. Instead, these materialsshould be applied to MR Credit 3: Re-source Reuse.

Ensure that recycled content materialsperform equally or better than virginmaterials in terms of strength, mainte-nance and lifetime. Maintain or refer tolists of manufacturers and suppliers ofrecycled content materials, and supportregionally produced recycled contentproducts when possible to reduce theadded costs of transportation.

Incorporate products into the building de-sign that not only have recycled content butare also recyclable. Remember to researchall recycled content materials for durabil-ity, performance and environmental con-siderations. For instance, if the recycledcontent product is not as durable, the ben-efits to the environment may be compro-

Credit 4


217

IDEASS WE MR EQmised. Also check recycled content mate-rials for problematic air emissions, especiallywith synthetic products such as plastic, rub-ber and polyester.

During construction, ensure that the ac-tual materials installed are those that werespecified in the contract documents.Record the percentage of post-consumerand post-industrial recycled content forthe LEED Letter Template calculations.


Recycled content products should beevaluated in terms of their potential im-pacts on IAQ. In some cases, chemicalbinders used in recycled content productsor processes contain off-gassing ingredi-ents that can have a negative impact onIAQ. These off-gassing building prod-ucts could affect construction workers aswell as building occupants over the life-time of the building.

It is often possible to specify recycled con-tent building products that are also manu-factured and recovered locally. If this is thecase, recycled content materials can also beapplied to MR Credit 5. Recycled contentmaterials cannot be included in calculationsfor MR Credits 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Tocalculate the percentage of recycled con-tent materials used on a project, use thespreadsheet in the LEED Letter Templateto list all recycled content materials andproducts and their associated costs. Foreach product, identify the percentage ofpost-consumer and/or post-industrial re-cycled content by weight, and list the re-cycled content information source.

Mechanical and electrical systems com-ponents are not applicable to this credit(e.g., HVAC equipment, ductwork, wir-ing and lighting fixtures and controls).

Plumbing products may be excluded. Ifplumbing products are included, the Let-ter Template’s default materials cost cannot be used (plumbing items must beadded into the materials cost total).

Post-consumer recycled content is con-sumer waste that has become a raw mate-rial (feedstock) for another product. Itoriginates from products that have serveda useful purpose in the consumer mar-ket. Much of this feedstock comes fromresidential curbside recycling programs foraluminum, glass, plastic and paper. Otherpost-consumer feedstock is supplied bybusinesses that recycle construction anddemolition debris. Post-industrial recycledcontent products are those that containwaste from industrial processes that hasbeen traded through the marketplace. Forinstance, a composite board manufacturermay purchase (or haul away for free) saw-dust from a lumber mill or waste strawfrom a wheat farm. This definition doesnot include in-house industrial scrap ortrimmings, which are normally fed backinto the same manufacturing process.

Most building products will only have onetype of recycled content, but a few prod-ucts contain both post-consumer andpost-industrial recycled content. The Let-ter Template determines each product’srecycled content values (post-consumerand post-industrial) using Equation 1,and calculates the total recycled contentpercentages using Equation 2. To deter-mine point achievement, the spreadsheetuses the best one of two competing sce-narios: post-consumer content value only,or post-consumer plus half of the post-industrial value.

In order to declare achievement of thiscredit within the Letter Templates, theproject team should compile cut sheets,product literature (brochures) or otherdocumentation that clearly indicatewhether the material contains post-con-sumer or post-industrial recycled materi-als or both, and what percentages by

Credit 4


218

IDEASS WE EQMR

Table 1: Letter Template Spreadsheet Example for Recycled Content Materials

weight. If nothing else is available, ob-tain an official statement from the prod-uct manufacturer stating the recycled con-tent percentage by weight and if the re-cycled content is post-consumer or post-industrial. If there is no information forsteel products, assume that recycled con-tent is 25% post-consumer. Salvaged and

refurbished materials are not consideredto contain recycled content, and these ma-terials should be applied to MR Credit 3:Resource Reuse.

Table 1 presents recycled content mate-rials calculations for a sample project.Material costs exclude installation costs(e.g., labor and equipment). The total

Credit 4

Equation 3:

Equation 2:

Equation 1:


[$]ValueContentcycledRe[%]

ContentcycledReRate

=

]lbs[WeightTotal

[%]ContentcycledRe]lbs[WeightMaterialcycledReAssemblyContent

×=

×= [$]Material or

Product Cost[$]

ContentcycledReValue Content

cycledRe%

Provide total construction costfor 45% default total materials cost; ORProvide total materials cost (exclude labor, equipment)9 $9 2,879,744

Product name9 Company99 Product Cost9 % Post-9 % Post-9 Recycled content9999 Consumer9 Industrial9 information source

ConcreteF Concrete CompanyF $F 22,500F 100.00%F 0.00%F contractor submittal

CompostF Compost CompanyF $F 25,000F 100.00%F 0.00%F common knowledge

RebarF Rebar Manufacturing Co.F $F 86,000F 65.00%F 0.00%F letter from factory

Brick (new)F Masonry Manufacturing Co.F $F 28,500F 0.00%F 15.00%F letter from factory

Misc. MetalsF variousF $F 179,000F 60.00%F 0.00%F manufacturer’s inform.

Wheatboard PanelsF Wheatboard Co.F $F 93,090F 0.00%F 25.00%F cut sheet

Metal SidingF Siding Co.F $F 38,000F 25.00%F 0.00%F product brochure

Metal RoofingF Roofing Co.F $F 35,000F 85.00%F 0.00%F product brochure

Ceramic TileF Tile Co.F $F 11,396F 95.00%F 0.00%F product brochure

Acoustical TileF Ceiling System Co.F $F 11,000F 90.00%F 0.00%F cut sheet

CarpetF Carpet Co.F $F 50,000F 40.00%F 0.00%F product brochure

Carpet PadF Carpet Co.F $F 3,000F 0.00%F 100.00%F cut sheet

Toilet PartitionsF Partition Co.F $F 4,000F 100.00%F 0.00%F product brochure

F Product Cost Subtotal9 $F 586,486

F Total value of post-consumer content9 $9 294,776

9 Total value of post-consumer content as a percentage of a total value of all materials99 10.24%

9 Total value of post-industrial content9 $9 30,548

9 Total value of post-industrial content as a percentage of total value of all materials99 1.06%

9 Combined value of post-consumer and half of post-industrial content9 $9 310,050

9 Combined value of post-consumer content plus half of post-industrial content

9 as a percentage of total value of all materials99 10.77%


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Table 2: Recycled Content Assembly Example

Concrete Components Weight Recycled ContentPercentage by

Weight

[lbs] [%] [%]

Water 160 -- 8%

Cement 306 -- 15%

Fly Ash 98 100% 5%

Coarse Aggregate 895 -- 45%

Aggregate 541 -- 27%

TOTAL 2,000 100%

Credit 4

materials cost figure may be derived froma default calculation (45% of total con-struction cost) or a tally of actual mate-rial costs. The sample project has chosenthe latter. “Company” refers to the manu-facturer or a manufacturer’s representa-tive. For each recycled content product,the percentage of post-consumer or post-industrial content by weight is noted.Then the recycled content value in dol-lars is calculated using Equation 1. Inthe example, rebar costs $86,000 andcontains 65% post-consumer recycledcontent. This is equal to a recycled con-tent dollar value of $55,900 ($86,000 x65%) New bricks cost $28,500, con-tain 15% post-industrial content, andhave a recycled content dollar value of$4275 ($28,500 x 15%)

As product data is entered, the spread-sheet sums each of the totals and usesEquation 2 to calculate the percentagesnecessary for analysis and point assess-ment: post-consumer content value, post-industrial content value, and post-con-sumer content plus half of the post-in-dustrial content. For this example, thetotal value of post-consumer recycled con-tent plus half of the post-industrial con-tent is 10.77% of the total materials costand earns two points under this credit.

For assemblies, the assembly recycled con-tent should be calculated. Use Equation 3to determine the assembly recycled content.

Table 2 illustrates an assembly calcula-tion for concrete containing 100% post-industrial fly ash. Fly ash constitutes 98pounds in one ton of the example con-crete mix. This results in an overall re-cycled content percentage of the concretemix of 5% by weight.

Resources

Web Sites

CIWMB Recycled Content Product Da-tabase

www.ciwmb.ca.gov/rcp, (916) 341-6606

A searchable database for recycled con-tent products, developed by the Califor-nia Integrated Waste Management Board.


Check with the solid waste and natural re-sources departments in your city or county.Many local governments provide informa-tion on recyclers and recycled content prod-uct manufacturers within their region.

GreenSpec

www.greenspec.com, (802) 257-7300

Detailed listings for more than 1,500green building products, including envi-ronmental data, manufacturer informa-tion and links to additional resources.


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Guide to Resource-Efficient Building El-ements

www.crbt.org, (406) 549-7678

The Center for Resourceful BuildingTechnology’s directory of environmentallyresponsible building products. This re-source provides introductory discussionsper topic and contact information forspecific products.

Oikos

oikos.com

A searchable directory of resource-effi-cient building products and sustainabledesign educational resources.

U.S. EPA Comprehensive ProcurementGuidelines Program

www.epa.gov/cpg/products.htm

Contains EPA information on recycledcontent materials with guidelines for re-cycled percentages. Includes a searchabledatabase of suppliers.

Definitions

Post-Consumer recycled content is con-sumer waste that has become a raw mate-rial (feedstock) for another product. Itoriginates from products that have serveda useful purpose in the consumer mar-ket. Much of this feedstock comes fromresidential and commercial (office) recy-cling programs for aluminum, glass, plas-tic and paper. Other post-consumer feed-stock is supplied by businesses that recycleconstruction and demolition debris.

Post-Industrial recycled content is outputfrom a process that has not been used aspart of a consumer product, that is sold,traded, or exchanged under commercialterms (including auditable transactions be-tween profit centers within an organization)as feedstock for another industrial process,and that would otherwise be landfilled, in-cinerated or somehow disposed of as a waste,as defined by the Federal Trade Commis-sion. For instance, a composite boardmanufacturer may purchase (or haul awayfor free) sawdust from a lumber mill or wastestraw from a wheat farm. Wood chipswould not fit this definition.

Case Study

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food BankPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is a LEED™ Sil-ver Pilot Project serving local food banks in Western Pennsylvania.The building houses distribution, warehouse and processing facili-ties and is designed to utilize site resources and be a positiveworkspace for building occupants. The building contains a sub-stantial amount of recycled content building materials. These ma-terials were required in specifications and included the following:reinforcing steel, structural steel, metal framing, ceramic tile floor-ing, sheet flooring, asphalt paving, gypsum wallboard, ceiling gridand tiles, and toilet partitions. In addition, a low-permeability,cementitious (LPC) material was used as structural fill, which con-sisted of 95% industrial waste products such as fly ash, lime andflue gas desulfurization material.

OwnerGreater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Courtesy of Gardner + Pope Architects


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Regional Materials20% Manufactured Regionally

Intent

Increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufac-tured within the region, thereby supporting the regional economy and reducing theenvironmental impacts resulting from transportation .

Requirements

Use a minimum of 20% of building materials and products that are manufactured*regionally within a radius of 500 miles.

* Manufacturing refers to the final assembly of components into the building product that is furnishedand installed by the tradesmen. For example, if the hardware comes from Dallas, Texas, the lumber fromVancouver, British Columbia, and the joist is assembled in Kent, Washington; then the location of thefinal assembly is Kent, Washington.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect or responsible party,declaring that the credit requirements have been met. Include calculations dem-onstrating that the project incorporates the required percentage of regional mate-rials/products and showing their cost, percentage of regional components, dis-tance from project to manufacturer, and the total cost of all materials for the project.

Credit 5.1

1 point


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Regional Materials50% Extracted Regionally

Intent

Increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufac-tured within the region, thereby supporting the regional economy and reducing theenvironmental impacts resulting from transportation.

Requirements

Of the regionally manufactured materials documented for MR Credit 5.1, use a mini-mum of 50% of building materials and products that are extracted, harvested or recov-ered (as well as manufactured) within 500 miles of the project site.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect or responsible party,declaring that the credit requirements have been met. Include calculations dem-onstrating that the project incorporates the required percentage of regional mate-rials/products and showing their cost, percentage of regional components, dis-tance from project to manufacturer, and the total cost of all materials for the project.



Credit 5.2


MR 5.1


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Credit 5

Credit Synergies

SS Credit 1Site Selection

MR Credit 3Resource Reuse

MR Credit 4Recycled Content




Green Building ConcernsBy purchasing regionally manufacturedbuilding materials, the local economy issupported, transportation costs and en-vironmental impacts are reduced, anddollars are retained in the region, support-ing the regional economy. The availabil-ity of regionally manufactured buildingmaterials is dependent on the project lo-cation. In some areas, the majority ofproducts needed for the project can beobtained within a 500-mile radius. Inother areas, only a small portion or noneof the building materials can be sourcedlocally. It is also important to address thesource of raw materials used to manufac-ture building products. Raw materials forsome building products are harvested orextracted far from the point of manufac-ture, creating air and water pollution dueto transportation between point of extrac-tion and point of manufacture.


The use of regional building materialsreduces transportation activities and theaccompanying pollution required to de-liver the materials to the job site. Trucks,trains, ships and other vehicles depletefinite reserves of fossil fuels and generateair pollution. By selecting building ma-terials that are produced from regionalmaterials, transportation impacts are fur-ther reduced.

Economic Issues

Regional building materials are more cost-effective for projects due to reduced trans-portation costs. Also, the support of re-gional manufacturers and labor forces re-tains capital for community members andcreates a more stable tax base and ahealthier local economy.

Community Issues

Regional building materials are often con-sistent with regional design aesthetics andare sometimes more responsive to the lo-

cal climate when compared with materi-als from other regions. The use of regionalbuilding materials supports the regionaleconomy, helping to strengthen the localcommunity and contribute to a high qual-ity of life.

Design Approach

Strategies

Consider the incorporation of regionalbuilding materials early in the schematicdesign phase. Research regionally sourcedand manufactured building materials fordurability, performance and other envi-ronmental considerations. Create andmaintain a current listing of regionalmanufacturers for future reference. Oncethe research of building materials is com-pleted, specify appropriate regionallysourced and manufactured building ma-terials in the contract documents.

Synergies & Trade-Offs

The location of the project site has a largeeffect on the availability of regionallysourced materials. Remote sites often re-quire construction materials to be trans-ported from great distances. In areas thathave regional manufacturing facilities, itis advantageous to consider materials thatare salvaged, that contain recycled con-tent, that are rapidly renewable, and forwood products, those that are FSC-certi-fied. Regional material dollar values canbe applied to MR Credits 3, 4, 6 and 7for those materials that meet the require-ments of those credits. When choosingregional materials, it is also important toaddress volatile organic compounds(VOCs) and urea formaldehyde contentas these can affect indoor air quality.

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Tocalculate the percentage of regional ma-


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IDEASS WE EQMR terials used on a project, it is helpful touse the LEED Letter Template in addi-tion to creating a spreadsheet listing allmaterials used on the project and theirassociated costs. This spreadsheet can alsobe used for MR Credits 3, 4, 6 and 7.Identify those products that were manu-factured within 500 miles of the projectsite. The Letter Template sums all region-ally manufactured product costs, and di-vides this value by the total materials costto obtain the regionally manufacturedproduct percentage (see Equation 1).

Next, identify those regionally manufac-tured products that contain materials ex-tracted, harvested or recovered within 500miles of the project site. The Letter Tem-plate sums all regionally extracted mate-rials costs and divides this value by theregionally manufactured products cost toobtain the regionally extracted materialspercentage (see Equation 2).

The Letter Template spreadsheet in Table1 presents regional materials calculationsfor a sample project. Note that materialcosts exclude installation expenses (e.g.,labor and equipment), and “company” re-fers to the manufacturer or amanufacturer’s representative. The totalmaterials cost figure may be derived froma default calculation (45% of total con-struction cost) or a tally of actual mate-rial costs. The sample project has chosenthe former.

The spreadsheet will add product coststo the “manufactured” and “extracted”totals depending on the distances datathat is entered. For instance, compost is

both manufactured and recovered withina short distance of the project and thematerial cost for compost is included inboth totals. Rebar is manufacturedwithin 500 miles of the project site, butthe raw materials originate from locationsgreater than 500 miles from the project.Therefore, the material cost for rebar isonly included in the regionally manufac-tured products tally.

The total regionally manufactured mate-rials cost is divided by the total materialscost to obtain a regionally manufacturedpercentage of 22%. The total regionallyextracted materials value is divided intothe total of regionally manufactured ma-terials dollar value to obtain the region-ally extracted materials percentage of55%. This example qualifies for twopoints under this credit.

If audited during the LEED certificationreview, the location of materials manu-facture and extraction, harvesting, or re-covery must be verified by a product cutsheet, product literature or letter from themanufacturer.

For assemblies, or when there are mul-tiple sources for the same material (e.g.,salvaged goods), use the following guid-ance. If all material sources are within 500miles, use one line item in the table andstate the greatest distance of the group.Otherwise, calculate the percentages ofregionally and non-regionally extractedmaterials by weight (as detailed in MRCredit 4) and enter as two line items. InTable 1, see “wallboard” for an example.

Equation 2:

Equation 1:


[$][%] =

Regionally Manufactured Products CostRegionally Manufactured Products Rate

[$]Regionally Extracted Materials Cost

[$]Regionally Manufactured Products Cost[%]

Regionally ExtractedMaterials Rate

=

Credit 5


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Credit 5

Table 1: Letter Template Spreadsheet Example for Regional Materials

Provide total construction cost9 $9 6,582,471for 45% default total materials cost; OR9 $9 2,962,112Provide total materials cost (exclude labor, equipment)

Product name9 Company99 Product Cost9 Distance9 Distance9 Regional content9999 between9 between9 information source9999 project &9 project &9999 manufacturer9 extraction site9999 (in miles)9 (in miles)

Reclaimed ConcreteF Concrete CompanyF $F 22,500F 9F 31F Letter from manufacturer

PlantingF Nursery CompanyF $F 35,066F 42F 42F Cut sheet

CompostF Compost Co.F $F 25,000F 20F 40F Cut sheet

RebarF Supply Co.F $F 86,000F 317F 644F Letter from manufacturer

Brick (salvaged)F Salvage Co.F $F 33,700F 39F 58F Cut sheet

Brick (new)F Masonry Co.F $F 28,500F 216F 229F Letter from manufacturer

Misc. MetalsF variousF $F 58,700F 439F ?F Letters from manufacturers

Reclaimed WoodF Salvage Co.F $F 130,000F 54F 172F Cut sheet and letter

MillworkF Millwork Co.F $F 85,590F 31F ?F Cut sheets

Struct. Insulated PanelsF SIP Co.F $F 80,500F 500F 497F Letter from manufacturer

Wallboard (gypsum)F Wallboard Co.F $F 60,000F 294F 566F Product literature

Wallboard (paper facing)F Wallboard Co.F $F 540F 294F 269F Letter from manufacturer

Toilet PartitionsF Partition Co.F $F 4,000F 311F 427F Letter from manufacturer


F Total value of regionally manufactured products9 $9 650,096

9 Value of regionally manufactured products as a percentage of the value of all materials99 21.95%

9 Total value of regionally extracted products9 $9 359,806

9Value of regionally extracted materials as a percentage of regionally manufactured products99 55.35%

ResourcesCheck with your local chamber of com-merce and regional and state economicdevelopment agencies for building mate-rials manufacturers in your area.


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Case Study

Monsanto Company Life Sciences IncubatorSt Louis, Missouri

The Monsanto Company Life Sciences Incubator building is aLEED™ Silver Pilot Project housing research facilities commit-ted to finding solutions to growing global needs for food andhealth. The design team specified regionally manufactured andsourced materials in the building where possible. Regional mate-rials included cast-in-place and structural concrete, brick, struc-tural and ornamental steel, structural and non-structural lumber,synthetic marble countertops, casework and millwork, insulation,door systems, gypsum wallboard, tack panels, signage, blinds, andtoilet partitions. Overall, almost two-thirds of the materials forthe project were sourced within 500 miles of the project site.

Credit 5

OwnerMonsanto Company

Courtesy of Monsanto Company


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Credit 6Rapidly Renewable Materials

Intent

Reduce the use and depletion of finite raw materials and long-cycle renewable materi-als by replacing them with rapidly renewable materials.

Requirements

Use rapidly renewable building materials and products (made from plants that aretypically harvested within a ten-year cycle or shorter) for 5% of the total value of allbuilding materials and products used in the project.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect or responsible party,declaring that the credit requirements have been met. Include calculations dem-onstrating that the project incorporates the required percentage of rapidly renew-able products. Show their cost and percentage of rapidly renewable components,and the total cost of all materials for the project.



1 point


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IDEASS WE EQMR Green Building ConcernsMany conventional building materialsrequire large inputs of land, natural re-sources, capital and time. Conversely,rapidly renewable materials generally re-quire less of these inputs and are there-fore likely to be more environmentallyfriendly. Rapidly renewable resources arethose materials that substantially replen-ish themselves faster than traditional ex-traction demand (i.e., planted and har-vested in less than a 10-year cycle). Ex-amples of such building materials include(but are not limited to) the materials listedin Table 1.


Rapidly renewable resources sometimes pro-vide the opportunity to displace raw mate-rials that have greater environmental im-pacts. Common examples include compos-ite panels that are made from agriculturalfiber such as wheat, substituting for com-posite wood panels. Irresponsible forestrypractices cause ecosystem and habitat de-struction, soil erosion, and stream sedimen-tation. Rapidly renewable crops require sig-nificantly less land—often due to higherdensity and shorter growing cycles—to pro-duce the same amount of end product, andare often by-products that are otherwiseconsidered waste.

Bio-based plastics (e.g., from corn starch)and other rapidly renewable resources arebeginning to provide alternatives to somepetroleum-based plastics.

Economic Issues

Because rapidly renewable resources maybe harvested more quickly, they requireless land to produce the same quantity ofmaterial, which equates to lower landcosts. Rapidly renewable materials tendto give a faster payback on investment formanufacturers. Some rapidly renewablematerials are new to the marketplace andare subsequently more expensive thantheir conventional counterparts. As de-mand for rapidly renewable materials in-creases, they will become more cost-com-petitive with conventional materials.

Community Issues

The land saved from the production re-quirements of rapidly renewable resourcesmay be used for a variety of other uses,including open space and other agricul-tural products. Rapidly renewable mate-rials create a more consistent harvestingcycle that can sustain a community in-stead of clearcutting and then abandon-ing the forest, as well as the workers, fordecades.

Design Approach

Strategies

Research rapidly renewable materials forflooring, cabinetry, wood products andother project applications. Specify thesematerials in contract documents and cre-ate a current list of rapidly renewableproducts for future reference.

Table 1: Rapidly Renewable Materials

Examples of Rapidly Renewable Materials

Bamboo flooring

Wheatgrass cabinetry

Sunflower seed board

Wool carpet

Linoleum flooring

Cotton batt insulation

Credit Synergies




Credit 6

Equation 1:


[$]CostMaterialnewableReRapidly[%]

newableReRapidlyPortionMaterial

=


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Credit 6


Because many products made from rap-idly renewable resources are relatively new,their long-term performance characteris-tics may be unknown. For example, theperformance and stability of bambooflooring has improved in recent yearsthrough the use of laminated layers of thematerial. Therefore it is important toevaluate a product’s performance historyprior to specifying.

Rapidly renewable materials costs can alsobe applied to MR Credits 5 and 7 if thematerials meet the credit requirements.Some products made from rapidly renew-able materials contain adhesives that mayoff-gas contaminants and have a negativeimpact on indoor air quality.

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Tocalculate the percentage of rapidly renew-able materials used on a project, it is help-ful to use the LEED Letter Template inaddition to creating a spreadsheet listingall materials used on the project and theirassociated costs. Identify those productsthat are considered to be rapidly renew-

able. Sum all rapidly renewable materialcosts and divide this value by the totalmaterials cost to obtain the rapidly renew-able material percentage (see Equation 1).For assemblies, calculate the percentageof rapidly renewable materials by weight(as detailed in MR Credit 4).

Table 2 presents rapidly renewable mate-rials calculations for a sample project. Thetotal materials cost figure may be derivedfrom a default calculation (45% of totalconstruction cost) or a tally of actualmaterial costs. The sample project haschosen the former. Material costs excludeinstallation expenses (e.g., labor andequipment). “Company” refers to themanufacturer or a manufacturer’s repre-sentative. The costs for these materialsare totaled and divided by the total mate-rial cost to obtain the rapidly renewablematerial percentage of 7%, which quali-fies for one point under this credit.

If audited during the LEED certificationreview, cut sheets, product literature or aletter from the manufacturer must be sub-mitted to confirm that the reported ma-terials are manufactured with rapidly re-newable resources.

Table 2: Letter Template Spreadsheet Example for Rapidly Renewable Materials

6,399,431$

2,879,74445% $

Product Cost

% Renewable

21,380$ 100%93,090$ 100%18,500$ 100%70,345$ 100%

Product Cost Subtotal 203,315$

Miscellaneous finish carpentryWheatboard panelsLinoleumBamboo flooring Cut sheetFlooring Company

Wheatboard Company Product literatureLinoleum Company Cut sheet

203,315$

7.06%Rapidly renewable building materials as a percentage of total materials costTotal value of rapidly renewable products

Company

Rapidly renewable content information

source

Milling Company Letter

Product name

Total construction cost

for default total materials cost; OR

Provide total materials cost (exclude labor, equipment)


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Credit 6Resources

Web Sites

Environmental Building News

www.buildinggreen.com/products/bamboo.html, (802) 257-7300

An article in Environmental Building Newson bamboo flooring, including a listingof bamboo flooring suppliers.

Environmental Design + Construction

www.edcmag.com (search for Highlightsof Environmental Flooring)

An Environmental Design & Constructionarticle providing information on bambooflooring, linoleum and wool carpeting.

GreenSpec


Detailed listings for more than 1,500green building products, including envi-ronmental data, manufacturer informa-tion, and links to additional resources.

Guide to Resource-Efficient Building El-ements

www.crbt.org, (406) 549-7678

The Center for Resourceful BuildingTechnology’s directory of environmentallyresponsible building products. This re-source provides introductory discussionsper topic and contact information forspecific products.

Oikos

oikos.com

A searchable directory of resource-effi-cient building products and sustainabledesign educational resources.

Case Study

The Solar Living CenterHopland, California

The Solar Living Center is a retail facility, learning center anddemonstration building for the Real Goods Trading Center. Thematerials selection process emphasized those materials that werehigh in recycled content and low in embodied energy. Two rap-idly renewable materials were chosen based on these criteria: straw-bale walls and pressed strawboard. The north and west walls ofthe building were constructed with straw-bales, a local agricul-tural waste product that is routinely burned. The exterior andinterior wall surfaces are covered with a cement and soil combi-nation to protect the straw from moisture and to provide struc-tural rigidity. The straw-bale walls have thermal insulating ben-efits as well as excellent sound insulation characteristics. In addi-tion, pressed strawboard panels were installed between structuralelements to serve as a sound absorber, insulator and radiant bar-rier.

OwnerReal Goods Trading Corporation

Courtesy of Real Goods Trading Corporation


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Credit 7Credit 7Certified Wood

Intent

Encourage environmentally responsible forest management.

Requirements

Use a minimum of 50% of wood-based materials and products, certified in accordancewith the Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria, for wood building com-ponents including, but not limited to, structural framing and general dimensionalframing, flooring, finishes, furnishings, and non-rented temporary construction appli-cations such as bracing, concrete form work and pedestrian barriers.

Submittals

❏ Provide the LEED Letter Template, signed by the architect, owner or responsibleparty, declaring that the credit requirements have been met and listing the FSC-certified materials and products used. Include calculations demonstrating that theproject incorporates the required percentage of FSC-certified materials/productsand their cost together with the total cost of all materials for the project. For eachmaterial/product used to meet these requirements, provide the vendor’s ormanufacturer’s Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certificate number.


Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria

www.fscus.org, (877) 372-5646

Certification is a “seal of approval” awarded to forest managers who adopt environ-mentally and socially responsible forest management practices, and to companies thatmanufacture and sell products made from certified wood. This seal enables consum-ers, including architects and specifiers, to identify and procure wood products fromwell-managed sources and thereby use their purchasing power to influence and rewardimproved forest management activities around the world.

LEED accepts certification according to the comprehensive system established by theinternationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC was created in1993 to establish international forest management standards (known as the FSC Prin-ciples and Criteria) to assure that forestry practices are environmentally responsible,socially beneficial and economically viable. These Principles and Criteria have beenestablished to ensure the long-term health and productivity of forests for timber pro-duction, wildlife habitat, clean air and water supplies, climate stabilization, spiritualrenewal, and social benefit, such as lasting community employment derived from stableforestry operations. These global Principles and Criteria are translated into meaning-ful standards at a local level through region-specific standards setting processes.

1 point


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Credit 7

FSC also accredits and monitors certification organizations. These “certifiers” are in-dependent, third-party auditors that are qualified to annually evaluate compliance withFSC standards on the ground and to award certifications. There are two types ofcertification.

● Forest Management Certification is awarded to responsible forest managers aftertheir operations successfully complete audits of forestry practices and plans.

● Chain of Custody Certification is awarded after companies that process, manu-facture and/or sell products made of certified wood successfully complete audits toensure proper use of the FSC name and logo, segregation of certified and non-certified materials in manufacturing and distribution systems, and observation ofother relevant FSC rules (e.g., meeting minimum requirements for FSC fiber con-tent in assembled and composite wood products).

The majority of FSC certification audits performed in North America are conductedby SmartWood and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), which are based in theUnited States. A more limited number are performed by SGS, which is based in Eu-rope.


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Credit 7

their growing economies encourage do-mestic consumption, the protection offorests will become a critical issue.

Currently, the costs of FSC-certified woodproducts are equal to or higher than con-ventional wood products, and availabilityvaries by region. The price of FSC-certi-fied wood products is expected to be morecompetitive with conventional wood prod-ucts in future years as the world’s forest re-sources are depleted and the forest indus-try embraces more widespread adoption ofsustainable business principles.

Community Issues

Irresponsible logging practices can havenegative social impacts. Thus, the socio-economic and political components toFSC certification include respecting in-digenous people’s rights, adhering to allapplicable laws and treaties, and involv-ing forest workers and forest-dependentcommunities as stakeholders in, and ben-eficiaries of, responsible forest manage-ment. Through the encouragement ofresponsible forest practices, local timbereconomies are stabilized and forestland ispreserved for future generations.

Design Approach

Strategies

Establish a project goal in which at least50% of the dollar value of wood-basedmaterials shall be FSC certified. Identifyall major areas of wood usage in yourproject to determine the types of prod-ucts needed (e.g., wooden doors and win-dows, interior millwork and casework,framing lumber, trim and structural pan-els, form ply and bracing, etc.).

Using the contacts and materials listed inthe Resources section below, research theavailability of the wood species and prod-ucts that you wish to use to ensure thatthey are available from FSC-certifiedsources.

Green Building Concerns

Wood has the potential to be atruly sustainable resource becauseit is renewable, biodegradable,non-toxic, energy efficient andrecyclable. Too often, however,wood is linked to the degradationor destruction of ecologicallyimportant forest ecosystems, suchas old-growth forests. Thus, re-sponsible forestry practices aim tominimize or eliminate these prob-lems. Responsible forestry meetsthe long-term forest product needsof humans while maintaining thefunction and biodiversity of for-ested landscapes. The primary goalis to restore, enhance and sustain afull range of forest values whileproducing a perpetual yield ofquality forest products.


The negative environmental impacts of ir-responsible forest practices can include de-struction of forests, loss of wildlife habitat,soil erosion and stream sedimentation, wa-ter and air pollution, and waste generation.The FSC standard incorporates many cri-teria that contribute to the long-term healthand integrity of forest ecosystems. From anenvironmental perspective, the elements ofresponsible FSC-certified forestry includesustainable timber harvesting (i.e., not re-moving more timber volume than replacesitself over the cutting interval or rotation),preserving wildlife habitat and biodiversity,maintaining soil and water quality, mini-mizing the use of harmful chemicals, andconserving high conservation value forests(e.g., endangered and old-growth forests).

Economic Issues

World trade in forest products has in-creased dramatically in the last 30 years,from $47 billion in 1970 to $139 billionin 1998. As more developing countriesembrace world forest product markets and

Credit Synergies





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Equation 1:

[$]CostoductsPrBasedWoodNewTotal

[$]CostoductsPrWoodCertifiedFSC[%]

WoodCertifiedPortionMaterial

=

Research and specify quality grades thatare most readily available from well-man-aged forests. Using lower grades of woodcan dramatically reduce pressure on for-ests, which produce only limited quanti-ties of top-grade timber (e.g., Architec-tural Woodwork Institute [AWI] Grades2 or 3 for lumber or veneer rather thanGrade 1, Select & Better rather than FirstAnd Second [FAS] for hardwood lumbergraded to National Hardwood LumberAssociation [NHLA] rules, or 2 and Bet-ter rather than Select Structural for soft-wood lumber graded to Western WoodProduct Association [WWPA] rules). Asan example, the typical yield of FAS-gradelumber in a deciduous forest is 5% - 20%of all hardwood lumber cut depending onmany variables, i.e. thickness, length, etc.In structural applications, specify the low-est grade that will meet the project’s per-formance and engineering requirements.In interior finishes and other exposed sur-faces, consider specifying “character”grades that highlight the uniqueness ofwood as a natural material.

At the earliest possible opportunity, makecontact with, and develop for your bid-ders, a list of local vendors, suppliers andmanufacturers that are certified for FSCchain-of-custody. Also, encourage projectbidders to contact certified vendors asearly as possible to establish product avail-ability and pricing. As the availability ofcertain certified wood products may varyover the life of a project, consider havingthe owner pre-purchase, store and supplyparticular items to the contractor (“Fur-nished by the Owner, Installed by theContractor,” or FOIC).

Specify in contract documents that woodproducts shall come from forests that arecertified as well-managed according to therules of the FSC. Wherever possible, em-

ploy a line-item strategy based on currentavailability of specific products rather thana blanket approach. As evidence of compli-ance with your specification and to docu-ment your use of certified wood for LEED,require that project contractors and subcon-tractors submit vendor (supplier) invoicescontaining vendor’s chain-of-custody cer-tification numbers and identifying each cer-tified product on a line-item basis.


Some FSC-certified wood products maynot be locally available. Certified woodproducts can be applied to MR Credits 5and 6 if these products comply with re-quirements for those credits. Like theirnon-certified counterparts, some FSC-certified products contain adhesives andchemicals that have off-gassing character-istics that may affect indoor air quality,and may conflict with eligibility for IEQCredit 4.4 (urea formaldehyde)

Calculations

The following calculation methodologyis used to support the credit submittalslisted on the first page of this credit. Tocalculate the percentage of certified woodproducts used on a project, use the spread-sheet in the LEED Letter Template list-ing all materials used on the project andtheir associated costs. First, identify allwood-based materials and product costson the project, not including installationexpenses (e.g., labor and equipment). Ex-clude salvaged and refurbished materialsas well as the value of the post-consumerrecycled wood fiber portion of any prod-uct. These exclusions ensure that appli-cants seeking the certified wood credit arenot penalized for using non-virgin wood.

For assemblies, calculate cost percentageof the FSC-certified wood versus the to-


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Credit 7

Table 1: Letter Template Spreadsheet Example for Certified Wood

tal material cost for the product, thenmultiply that percentage by the totalproduct price to get the cost value of thecertified wood portion (to evenly distrib-ute labor and other production costs). Ifthe product itself has been FSC-certified,then the entire cost of the product is tobe used.

The Letter Template calculates the totalmaterials value of the wood-based prod-ucts. Next, identify percentages (byweight, as detailed in MR Credit 4) ofthose wood-based products that are FSC-certified. All FSC-certified wood mate-rial costs are summed and then dividedby the total value of wood-based prod-ucts to obtain the certified wood prod-ucts percentage (see Equation 1).

The example in Table 1 presents certi-fied wood calculations for a sampleproject. The total materials cost figuremay be derived from a default calculation(45% of total construction cost) or a tally

of actual material costs. The sampleproject has chosen the former. Materialcosts exclude installation costs (e.g., laborand equipment). This example qualifiesfor one point under this credit becausemore than 50% of new wood-based prod-ucts are FSC-certified.

Keep copies of vendor invoices for eachproduct used to meet these requirementsin case of a LEED certification audit. PerForest Stewardship Council rules, eachinvoice should include the vendor’s chain-of-custody certificate number and shouldalso identify certified products on an item-by-item basis. A “vendor” is defined as acompany that furnishes wood products toproject contractors or subcontractors foron-site installation. For example, a com-pany that manufactures but does not in-stall interior casework would be consid-ered a vendor for the purposes of this defi-nition, but an architectural woodworkerthat fabricates and installs interior case-

Provide total construction cost9 $9 19,881,455for 45% default total materials cost; OR9 $9 8,946,655Provide total materials cost (exclude labor, equipment)

Total cost of all wood-based products9 $9 709,026Cost of Wood-based products as percentage of all materials9 7.93%

99999 Forest Stewardship99999 Council chain-of-9999 Certified9 custody certificateWood product9 Vendor9 Product Cost99 Wood %9 number

Rough carpentryF Supply CompanyF $F 85,629F 46%F SW-COC-013

Millwork, caseworkF Supply CompanyF $F 160,423F 77%F SCS-COC-00067

MiscellaneousF variousF $F 31,557F 0%F n/a

Roof StructureF Supply CompanyF $F 175,309F 89%F SCS-COC-00094

Doors, framesF Supply CompanyF $F 141,100F 70%F SW-COC-675

Finish carpentry – elevator interiorF Supply CompanyF $F 5,469F 55%F SCS-COC-00067

FurnitureF Office Furniture CompanyF $F 73,775F 71%F SCS-COC-00122

WorkstationsF Office Furniture CompanyF $F 35,764F 61%F SCS-COC-00122


F Total value of FSC-certified wood products9 $9 494,914

9 Value of FSC-certified wood products as a percentage of the value of all wood-based

9 building materials99 69.80%


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Resources

Web Sites

Certified Wood & Paper Association

www.cwpa.info, (503) 224-2205

A nonprofit business association that pro-motes environmentally and socially respon-sible forest products, it provides a free ser-vice to help architects who seek to specifyFSC-certified wood, research product avail-ability and identify potential vendors.

Forest Certification Resource Center

www.certifiedwood.org, (503) 224-2205

Contains a searchable database of FSCproducts and a variety of resources, in-cluding comparative information on for-est certification systems.

Forest Stewardship Council

www.fscus.org, (877) 372-5646

The FSC promotes responsible forestmanagement globally by certifying forestproducts that meet the rigorous forestmanagement standard. The organizationbrings industry, environmentalists, andcommunity groups together to promotepractical solutions that meet its diversestakeholders’ needs. The organization wasfounded in 1993 by environmentalgroups, the timber industry, foresters, in-digenous peoples and community groupsfrom 25 countries.

GreenSpec


Detailed listings for more than 1,500green building products, including envi-ronmental data, manufacturer informa-tion and links to additional resources.

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Scientific Certification Systems

www.scs1.com/forestry.shtml, (802) 434-5491

Scientific Certification System’s ForestConservation Program is a third-partycertifier that is accredited to conduct for-est management and chain-of-custodyaudits in the United States and interna-tionally according to the rules of the FSC.

Smartwood

www.smartwood.org, (802) 434-5491

SmartWood is a third-party certifier thatis accredited to conduct forest manage-ment and chain-of-custody audits in theUnited States and globally according tothe rules of the FSC. It is a nonprofitprogram of the Rainforest Alliance and isbased in the United States.

Print Media

Sustainable Forestry: Philosophy, Sci-ence, and Economics by Chris Maser,CRC Press, 1994.

The Business of Sustainable Forestry:Strategies for an Industry in Transitionby Michael B. Jenkins and Emily T.Smith, Island Press, 1999.

Definitions

Chain-of-Custody is a document thattracks the movement of a wood productfrom the forest to a vendor and is used toverify compliance with FSC guidelines.A “vendor” is defined as the company thatsupplies wood products to project con-tractors or subcontractors for on-site in-stallation.

Sustainable Forestry is the practice ofmanaging forest resources to meet thelong-term forest product needs of humanswhile maintaining the biodiversity of for-ested landscapes. The primary goal is torestore, enhance and sustain a full rangeof forest values—economic, social andecological.


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Case Study

Bicentennial Hall Science BuildingMiddlebury, Vermont

The Bicentennial Hall Science Building at Middlebury Col-lege is a campus building that houses laboratories, classrooms,offices and a library. Over 125,000 board feet of FSC-certifiedwood was specified and installed for interior millwork. Woodspecies chosen were native to Vermont and included hard andsoft maple, beech, yellow birch, red oak, black cherry, poplar,basswood and ash. These species were used for paneling, basemolding, wainscoting, picture rails, chair rails and balcony rail-ings. The cost of FSC-certified wood products on the projectwas estimated to be 3% greater than conventional wood prod-ucts.

OwnerMiddlebury College

Courtesy of Middlebury College

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Credit 7

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