flexiblefullpage

HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

Menu View Full Menu
Subscribe Here
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

USGBC, American Chemistry Council join forces to advance LEED

USGBC, American Chemistry Council join forces to advance LEED

The groups will apply technical and science-based approaches to the LEED green building program.

By USGBC | August 28, 2014
Continue Reading
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) announced a new initiative designed to ensure the use of sustainable and environmentally protective products in buildings by applying technical and science-based approaches to the LEED green building program. This new initiative acknowledges USGBC’s success in leading the transformation of the built environment and sets up a pathway to take advantage of the materials science expertise of ACC and its members.
 
“USGBC and ACC share the goal of advancing sustainability in the built environment, and we will work together to take advantage of our collective strength and experience,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “The looming impacts of climate change and the possibilities of improving human health and wellbeing favor collaboration and engagement as key strategies. The goal is forward progress.”
 
ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley noted, “Modern energy efficiency gains, building safety advances and carbon footprint reductions would not be possible without the products of chemistry. From windows to insulation, adhesives to flooring, chemistry provides solutions that enable the energy efficient and sustainable buildings that consumers expect in today’s world.
 
By combining USGBC, a leader of the green building movement, with the scientific know-how of ACC, we can develop a path to stronger, science-based standards that achieve measurable progress in sustainability.”
 
LEED is regularly updated through a rigorous development process that includes public comments, technical review and balloting. USGBC and ACC will work within that framework to incorporate state-of-the-art safety, sustainability and life-cycle based approaches to LEED. LEED has facilitated advances in building technologies, integrated design and operating practices, as well as the tremendous growth of the green building sector, which supports or creates 7.9 million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. 
 
The American business of chemistry employs nearly 800,000 Americans and supports nearly 25 percent of the U.S. GDP. Chemistry-based plastic building and construction materials saved 467.2 trillion BTUs of energy over alternative construction materials – enough energy saved over the course of a year to meet the average annual energy needs of 4.6 million U.S. households. Energy savings made possible by innovations in chemistry in homes in the U.S. prevented nearly 283 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2010—equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 50 million passenger vehicles.   

Tags

Related Stories

Adaptive reuse project Stone Mill Lofts transforms 1840s-era mill building into rental housing. Photo: The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT)
Adaptive Reuse | Oct 22, 2024

Adaptive reuse project transforms 1840s-era mill building into rental housing

A recently opened multifamily property in Lawrence, Mass., is an adaptive reuse of an 1840s-era mill building. Stone Mill Lofts is one of the first all-electric mixed-income multifamily properties in Massachusetts. The all-electric building meets ambitious modern energy codes and stringent National Park Service historic preservation guidelines.

Phase 2 of the three-building Gulch Union project in Nashville is a 357,000-sf, 29-story tower with 308 residences. Rendering: HKS
MFPRO+ News | Oct 22, 2024

Project financing tempers robust demand for multifamily housing

AEC Giants with multifamily practices report that the sector has been struggling over the past year, despite the high demand for housing, especially affordable products.

Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center. View north on Mulberry Street. © Weiss/Manfredi | Photo courtesy of NJPAC
Performing Arts Centers | Oct 21, 2024

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center breaks ground on $336 million redevelopment of its 12-acre campus

In Newark, N.J., the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has broken grown on the three-year, $336 million redevelopment of its 12-acre campus. The project will provide downtown Newark 350 mixed-income residential units, along with shops, restaurants, outdoor gathering spaces, and an education and community center with professional rehearsal spaces.

McCann Worldgroup, London. Photo by Mark Cocksedge.
Office Buildings | Oct 21, 2024

3 surprises impacting the return to the office

This blog series exploring Gensler's Workplace Survey shows the top three surprises uncovered in the return to the office.

Indiana University Health Campus drawing
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 18, 2024

7 design lessons for future-proofing academic medical centers

HOK’s Paul Strohm and Scott Rawlings and Indiana University Health’s Jim Mladucky share strategies for planning and designing academic medical centers that remain impactful for generations to come.

the renovation of Sam Houston State University’s Mafrige Fieldhouse Locker Room, Photo courtesy PBK
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Oct 17, 2024

In the NIL era, colleges and universities are stepping up their sports facilities game

NIL policies have raised expectations among student-athletes about the quality of sports training and performing facilities, in ways that present new opportunities for AEC firms.

Austin, Texas, adopts AI-driven building permit software, Image by Kate Baucherel from Pixabay
Codes and Standards | Oct 17, 2024

Austin, Texas, adopts AI-driven building permit software

After a successful pilot program, Austin has adopted AI-driven building permit software to speed up the building permitting process.

U.S. is reducing floodplain development in most areas, Image by Hans from Pixabay
Resiliency | Oct 17, 2024

U.S. is reducing floodplain development in most areas

The perception that the U.S. has not been able to curb development in flood-prone areas is mostly inaccurate, according to new research from climate adaptation experts. A national survey of floodplain development between 2001 and 2019 found that fewer structures were built in floodplains than might be expected if cities were building at random.

Calif. governor signs limited extension to hospital seismic retrofit mandate, Image by mspark0 from Pixabay
Seismic Design | Oct 17, 2024

Calif. governor signs limited extension to hospital seismic retrofit mandate

Some California hospitals will have three additional years to comply with the state’s seismic retrofit mandate, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill extending the 2030 deadline.

Photo: Pixabay
MFPRO+ News | Oct 16, 2024

One-third of young adults say hurricanes like Helene and Milton will impact where they choose to live

Nearly one-third of U.S. residents between 18 and 34 years old say they are reconsidering where they want to move after seeing the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, according to a Redfin report. About 15% of those over age 35 echoed their younger cohort’s sentiment.

boombox1
boombox2

Top Articles

native1

More In Category

Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.

Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021