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LEED® Information
SiteScapes thoroughly recognizes the critical importance
of utilizing recycled materials in an effort to preserve
the delicate global ecosystem and we embrace the opportunity
to take part in the "Green Building" movement.
Our commitment derives from our desire to protect valuable
natural resources, conserve energy, reduce environmental
pollutants, and help diminish landfills. Our greatest
hope is to leave this earth a better place than we found
it and a welcoming home to our children.
1. What is LEED certification?
2. What are the benefits of LEED
certification?
3. How does LEED work?
4. How does one achieve LEED certification?
5. Tips for Getting LEED Certified
6. Are SiteScapes products LEED
certified?
7. Helpful Links
What is LEED certification?
In the United States and in a number of other countries
around the world, LEED certification is the recognized
standard for measuring building sustainability. Achieving
LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate
that your building project is truly "green."
What are the benefits
of LEED certification?
LEED certification, which includes a rigorous third-party
commissioning process, offers compelling proof to you,
your clients, your peers and the public at large that
you've achieved your environmental goals and your building
is performing as designed. Getting certified allows
you take advantage of a growing number of state and
local government incentives, and can help boost press
interest in your project.
How does LEED work?
LEED is a point based system where projects earn LEED
points for staisfying specific green building criteria.
Within each of the six LEED credit categories, projects
must satisfy particular prerequisites and earn points.
The six categories include Sustainable Sites, Water
Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials &
Resources, Indoor Enviromental Quality and Innovation
in Design (projects can earn ID points for green building
innovations). The number of points the project earns
determines the level of LEED Certification the project
receives. LEED certification is available in four progressive
levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
How does one achieve LEED
certification?
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED
website provides tools for building professionals,
including:
- Information on the LEED certification process.
- LEED documents, such as checklists and reference
guides. Standards are now available or in development
for the following project types:
- New commercial construction and major renovation
projects (LEED-NC)
- Existing building operations (LEED-EB)
- Commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI)
- Core and shell projects (LEED-CS)
- Homes (LEED-H)
- Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)
- A list of LEED-certified projects
- A directory of LEED-accredited professionals
- Information on LEED training workshops
- A calendar of green building industry conferences
Tips for Getting LEED Certified
- Set a clear environmental target.
Before you begin the design phase of your project,
decide what level of LEED certification you are
aiming for and settle on a firm overall budget.
Also consider including an optional higher certification
target -- a "stretch" goal -- to stimulate
creativity.
- Set a clear and adequate budget.
Higher levels of LEED certification, such as Platinum,
do require additional expenditure and should be
budgeted for accordingly
- Stick to your budget and your LEED
goal. Throughout out the design and building
process, be sure your entire project team is focused
on meeting your LEED goal on budget. Maintain the
environmental and economic integrity of your project
at every turn.
- Engineer for Life Cycle Value
As you value-engineer your project, be sure to examine
green investments in terms of how they will affect
expenses over the entire life of the building. Before
you decide to cut a line item, look first at its
relationship to other features to see if keeping
it will help you achieve money-saving synergies,
as well as LEED credits. Many energy-saving features
allow for the resizing or elimination of other equipment,
or reduce total capital costs by paying for themselves
immediately or within a few months of operation.
Prior to beginning, set your goals for "life
cycle" value-engineering rather than "first
cost" value-engineering.
- Hire LEED-accredited professionals.
Thousands of architects, consultants, engineers,
product marketers, environmentalists and other building
industry professionals around the country have a
demonstrated knowledge of green building and the
LEED rating system and process -- and can assist
you in meeting your LEED goal. These professionals
can suggest ways to earn LEED credits without extra
cost, identify means of offsetting certain expenses
with savings in other areas and spot opportunities
for synergies in your project.
Are SiteScapes products LEED
certified?
No, LEED applies to green building projects. Individual
products can contribute to points under the rating
system; LEED criteria are performance based. In attempting
to meet those requirements, LEED practitoners identify
products that have desired attributes. However, some
LEED criteria do require specific product data as
a part of a succesful submittal.
Click here for SiteScapes
LEED product information.
Links
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STEEL: SiteScapes, Inc. purchases its steel materials
from steel mills that primarily utilize Electric Arc
Furnace (EAF) technology. The EAF technology makes use
of post-consumer scrap steel by melting it down for
reuse in new steel materials.
SiteScapes, Inc. products are manufactured of primarily
steel flat bar, steel solid square bar and steel sheet
materials. As you can see from the below data, our mill
vendors report excellent levels of recycled content
in each of these materials allowing SiteScapes, Inc.
to provide environmentally friendly steel products for
use in "Green Building" applications or LEED
programs.
Product Recycled Content
Steel Bar Products 99%
Steel Sheet Products 70%
DUCTILE CAST -Bench Ends: SiteScapes, Inc. ductile
cast iron bench ends are poured with 60% post-consumer
materials and 40% nodular pig iron. In addition, a small
percentage of the make up of the nodular pig iron (iron
ore, coke and limestone) is also post-consumer resources.
GRAY CAST - Tree Grates: All tree grate base
materials are 100% post-consumer materials. These materials
are derived from the melting of shredded auto bodies,
scrap steel, used engine blocks etc. No pig iron is
utilized in this production process.
WOOD: SiteScapes, Inc. purchases its wood materia
ls from IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment
and the Renewal of Natural Resources) registered mills.
All wood is certified to provide the product origin
and compliance with all legal log harvesting policies.
In addition, these mills participate in "Fields
to Forests" reforestation programs. As a result,
a tropical tree is replanted in a certified plantation
program for every 500 board feet of lumber supplied.
RECYCLED PLASTIC: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
is the only product used as the raw material base in
the production of these items. No other products such
as, wood pulp, wood fiber, or fiberglass is used. 60%
of all items used on our products derive from post consumer
(recycled) or post industrial (scrap) materials.
Materials & Resource Credits
MR Credit 4.1:
Recycled Content: 10% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer)
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Intent:
Increase demand for building products that incorporate
recycled content materials, thereby reducing impacts
resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials.
Requirements:
Use materials with recycled content such that the sum
of post-consumer recycled content plus one-half of the
pre-consumer content constitutes at least 10% (based
on cost) of the total value of the materials in the
project.
MR Credit
4.2:
Recycled Content:
20% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer)
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Intent:
Increase demand for building products that incorporate
recycled content materials, thereby reducing the
impacts resulting from extraction and processing
of virgin materials.
Requirements:
Use materials with recycled content such that the
sum of post-consumer recycled content plus one-half
of the pre-consumer content constitutes an additional
10% beyond MR Credit 4.1.
SiteScapes Contribution:
SiteScapes products contain 70% – 99% recycled
content. Recycled content depends on product type.
For a full recycled content description see our
LEED product information.
SiteScapes products must be aggregated with all
other recycled content materials in order to achieve
this credit. Innovation credits are available for
higher levels of recycled content used on LEED projects.
MR Credit
5.1:
Regional Materials:
10% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally
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Intent:
Increase demand for building materials and products
that are extracted and manufactured within the region,
thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and
reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation.
Requirements:
Use building materials or products that have been extracted,
harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within
500 miles of the project site for a minimum of 10% (based
on cost) of the total materials value.
MR Credit
5.2:
Regional Materials:
20% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally
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Intent:
Increase demand for building materials and products
that are extracted and manufactured within the region,
thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources
and reducing the environmental impacts resulting
from transportation.
Requirements:
Use building materials or products that have been
extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured,
within 500 miles of the project site for an additional
10% beyond MR Credit 5.1 (total of 20%, based on
cost) of the total materials' value.
SiteScapes Contribution:
SiteScapes is centrally located in Lincoln, NE.
As such, we are able to provide site furnishings
to a large section of the midwest that meets this
"regional" requirement. For more info
see our LEED Regional
map.
MR Credit
7.0:
Certified Wood
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Intent:
Encourage environmentally responsible forest management.
Requirement:
Use a minimum of 50% of wood-based materials and products,
which are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship
Council’s (FSC) Principles and Criteria, for wood
building components. These components include, but are
not limited to, structural framing and general dimensional
framing, flooring, sub-flooring, wood doors and finishes.
Only include materials permanently installed in the
project. Furniture may be included, providing it is
included consistently in MR Credits 3–7.
SiteScapes Contribution:
SiteScapes Avondale wood slat products are available
as an FSC-certified composite product. Be sure to
specify when ordering. SiteScapes products must
be aggregated with all other certified wood materials
in order to achieve this credit
As part of the Materials and Resource credits, LEED
offers points for products that are that are extracted
and manufactured locally. LEED has defined locally as
a 500 mile radius from the project's location. Because
SiteScapes is located in Lincoln, NE we can provide
site furnishings to a large section of the midwest that
meet this criteria.
(click to enlarge)
Included below are some tools to help determine your
own local region.
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Feature: LEED® Information
