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You are here: Knowledge Base > Bobrick Techincal Bulletins
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TB-77 Sierra Series LEED Certification Program Last Updated: 01/21/2008 |
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Sierra Series LEED Certification Program: Environmental sustainability in architectural design can help contain construction costs and/or reduce annual building operating expenses. The Solid Color Reinforced Composite (SCRC) panels used in Bobrick's Sierra™ Series Toilet Partitions meet the demand for environmental responsibility and sustainability in architectural design and specification outlined in the US Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program. Individual building products are not certified by LEED, but properly selected materials do affect the building's overall certification if they meet the minimum requirements in any LEED category. The product's contribution toward earning LEED points is proportional to the product's cost (or weight) relative to total building material cost (or weight). The Sierra Series toilet partitions can help contribute to the following LEED certification program credits in both New Construction and Existing Buildings: (LEED Green Building Rating System, Version 2.1) CONTRIBUTION TO “Materials and Resources” POINTS: Recycled Content - Credit 4.1 or 4.2 (2 possible points): LEED awards points for buildings containing certain percentages of salvaged, reused, or refurbished content, relative to the total building material cost (5% = 1 point, 10% = 2 points). This credit is designed to encourage use of building products that incorporate recycled content and to reduce demand for virgin materials, reducing energy and resource consumption associated with the extraction and processing of virgin resources. Sierra Series: Solid Color Reinforced Composite (SCRC) panels contain 15% recycled content and 15% post-industrial waste (by weight). Local Regional Materials - Credit 5.1 (1 possible point): To earn this credit, LEED requires that 20% of building materials be manufactured regionally (i.e., location of final assembly) within 500 miles of the project site. This credit is designed to encourage use of regional materials to support regional economies and reduce the environmental impact from transportation. Sierra Series: The Sierra Series toilet partitions are manufactured at three (3) Bobrick manufacturing plants located in: Jackson, TN, Clifton Park, NY, and North Hollywood, CA. This creates three regions with overlapping 500-mile radii from these facilities, allowing projects in many parts of the country to earn credits for incorporating regionally manufactured materials. Rapidly Renewable Materials - Credit 6.0 (1 possible point): To earn credits for Rapidly Renewable Materials, LEED require that 5% of the total value of all building materials and products used in the project be derived from plants that are typically harvested within a ten-year cycle (or shorter). This credit is intended to reduce the use and rate of depletion of finite raw materials and long-cycle renewable materials. Sierra Series: 70% of the Solid Color Reinforced Composite (SCRC) panel material is composed of organic cellulose or wood fibers and are derived from sources which qualify as “rapidly renewable”. CONTRIBUTION TO “Indoor Environmental Quality” POINTS: Low Emitting Materials - Credit 4.4 (1 possible point): To earn this credit, the composite wood and agrifiber products must contain no urea-formaldehyde resins. This credit is intended to reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, potentially irritating, and/or harmful to the comfort and well-being of the installers and occupants. Sierra Series: Solid Color Reinforced Composite (SCRC) panels do not contain urea-formaldehyde. LEED PROGRAM DESCRIPTION LEED (Version 2.1) emphasizes environmental design considerations by analyzing six categories of building design including: site factors, water efficiency, energy use/atmospheric releases, material/ resources selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. An owner interested in LEED certification must register the project at the beginning of the design process. Upon completion of construction, he must submit a project description outlining the LEED design features incorporated into the building for formal USGBC evaluation. LEED allocates points to evaluate the building's material/product selection and design/construction techniques, up to a maximum of 69 points. A Basic Certification is given for buildings scoring between 26 - 32 points, Silver for 33 - 38 points, and Gold for 39 - 51 points. The highest certification level, Platinum, is awarded to buildings earning at least 52 points. In some states, stepped tax credits are offered to commercial buildings for different levels of LEED certification. LEED requires that buildings maintain their certification with subsequent USGBC inspections every five years. More information on the LEED Program can be obtained at: www.usgbc.org/LEED/LEED_MAIN.asp
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