Green and Sustainable Building

Overview and Summary of LEED v3

LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a green building rating system created by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). This system is designed to incorporate energy efficient, sustainable and environmental friendly buildings from the design to the construction and occupancy stages. LEED-NC is used for new construction of offices, institutional buildings (libraries, museums, churches, etc.), hotels, multi-family (4 or more stories).  LEED-Schools is used for all types of educational facilities.  LEED-Core and Shells is used for commercial office buildings, medical office buildings, retail, warehouse, lab facility.

You may have clients that demand to build green. Or maybe you just want to offer that option, without compromising your design. Reward Wall Systems makes it easy, because our ICFs are inherently green, from raw materials to installation.

Green Sustainable Building

LEED certifiedThe U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design sets the nationwide standards outlined in the Green Building Rating System. When Reward Wall Systems’ ICF products are incorporated into the exterior envelope of a building, the energy efficiency and material properties of Reward can help contribute in 6 of the 7 topics for LEED v3—NC, Schools or Core and Shell categories. Summarized below are the topics and how Reward Wall Systems’ ICFs can contribute towards a LEED certified building.

See our full summarized ICF LEED v3 point contribution including:

Sustainable Sites-SS Credit 5.2

By utilizing the Reward ICF walls below grade it provides a basement that can be occupied to
maximize open space. Also many projects are braced on the interior and therefore can minimize size
excavation and reduce site disturbance. These will allow contribution to the credit Site Development.

Energy and Atmosphere-EA Prerequisite & Credit 1

Redward can contribute to the required prerequisite compliance with meeting the minimum performnace standards of ASHRAE 90.1- 2007 energy code.

Credit is obtained for performance improvements beyond the minimum ASRAE 90.1 energy code requirements (up to 19 points).

Building the exterior walls with Reward ICFs contributes to this requirement and credit by providing superior air tightness, insulating value and thermal massing.  Use of Reward Wall Systems will result in a better insulated, energy efficient exterior wall system. The continuous solid insulated concrete wall created by Reward will reduce air infiltration and provide thermal mass benefits.

Combined with other components like energy efficient glazing and window units, well insulated roof assemblies, and design strategies like effective solar orientation, Reward can contribute to a project qualifying for minimum energy performance under EA Prerequisite 2, and for additional credits for energy performance beyond the minimum ASHRAE energy code requirements, under the Optimized Energy Performance credit.

See the Optimized Energy Performance LEED v3 requirement table.

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Concrete

 

Materials and Resource-MR Credit 2, Credit 4 & Credit 5

Under the credit Construction Waste Management, Reward’s ICF product is designed so that the form reduces waste during construction.  The amount of waste that is produced is often possible to recycle as the expanded polystyrene foam and the plastic ties along with the concrete and rebar are recyclable materials.  Any waste that is generated is 100% recyclable.

www.epspackaging.org/info.html

Reward’s insulating concrete form products contain recycled content and can contribute to the Recycled Content credit.  The Reward plastic tie inserts are manufactured from 100% pre-consumer recycled first generation polypropylene plastic.  One half (50%) of the calculated pre-consumer amount is included in the total value of recycled content for a project. The calculations and amount of recycled content that the iForm contributes is shown below.

For example, the 11” iForm tie weight is 188 grams

The Reward ICF walls can also contribute under the Regional Materials credit. The wall consists of formwork made from expanded polystyrene foam and plastic ties filled with concrete.  Reward’s formwork products are manufactured in several plants around the country.  Most areas will be within a 500 mile radius.  Concrete consists of cement, water, fine and course aggregates and air.  The water, air and aggregates are derived locally.  The total value of materials that have been extracted and manufactured within a 500 mile radius has to equal 10% for one point and 20% for 2 points.

View our manufacturing map to see the locations where forms are made as well as the detailed info on recycled content for LEED v3 on our blog.

Indoor Environmental Quality-EQ Credits 4.6, 7, 7.1 & 9

Under the credit of Low Emitting Materials, the Reward product does not provide any VOCs, HCFCs or formaldehyde off-gassing. All insulation installed in the building interior must meet the testing and product requirements of the California Department of health Services Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers, including 2004 Addenda.  

Reward ICF walls can contribute to the Thermal Comfort - Design credit as the virtually air tight and thermal mass wall moderates the transfer of temperature to keep a uniform temperature without temperature swings in the interior conditioned space.

Contribution to the Enhanced Acoustical Performance credit is possible with the superior STC values that can be achieved with Reward ICF walls.  The wall’s acoustical benefits can be realized in various commercial building applications, including hotels, multi family condominiums, schools, theaters or structures near airports or interstates.

See the detailed Indoor Environmental Quality point breakdown on our blog.

Green Building

Innovation and Design- ID Credit 1

Reward ICFs can contribute to a project's ability to earn points for innovation in design. Areas where the Reward walls can contribute to Innovation in Design credit include:

See the detailed Innovation and Design point breakdown on our blog.

Regional Priority-MR Bonus MRc2(75%) and MRc5(20%)

This LEED topic addresses construction waste and utilization of regional materials.  The additional impact that the Reward ICF product may make regarding regional credits will vary depending on where the project is being built.  The location of the project with respect to the location of where the Reward product is manufactured must be determined. 

See the detailed Regional Priority bonus points breakdown on our blog.

 

Green Building

Find out more today. Call us at 800-468-6344.

Continuing Education

Reward offers a CEU

Reward's free online course, Introduction to Insulating Concrete Forms, provides an overview of ICFs, including the components, variations and function. Also, the benefits of ICFs are discussed in real life situations through case studies. This course is AIA (qualifies for HSW) and CSI approved to provide you Continuing Educaton Credits.

For more details or to take the course for credit go to our Continuing Education Website hosted by AECdaily.

Ask About Energy Star

Reward Wall Systems can help your new home earn the ENERGY STAR rating by providing solid monolithic insulated concrete exterior walls that have a high steady state R-22 R-value, thermal mass that moderates the temperatures from the exterior and interior, and a virtually air tight wall that keeps hot and cold air from entering your home.  Our insulating concrete form (ICF) walls will help contribute to significant reduction of heating and cooling loads leading to an energy efficient Energy Star home.

Energy Star Logo

We have had many homes energy star rated. View the most recent one- a Pennsylvania Parade of Homes Reward ICF house. Received and enregy Star rating of 67.