LEED® Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™ encourages sustainable green building and development practices.
LEED® is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED® gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.
AVR, Inc. & Affiliates has been selected on numerous LEED® registered projects. We have successfully produced concrete with over 50% cement replacement rates, pervious concrete, and lead the market in commercial ICF construction.
Fly Ash
AVR, Inc. & Affiliates has been using fly ash as a partial replacement for cement for over twenty years. Less cement means concrete can be produced with less energy inputs. Fly ash is a waste by-product of the coal industry. All of our fly ash comes from nearby area power plants and meets the ASTM standards. Fly ash has many inherent benefits, including:
- Reduced permeability
- Improved pumping
- Improved finishing
- Reduced heat generation.
Most of today's concrete mixes are designed with fly ash. Fly ash is a great example of utilizing a product destined for the landfill to improve concrete.
Slag
Slag is a hydraulic cement formed when granulated blast-furnace slag is ground to a suitable fineness.
Like fly ash, using slag as a partial replacement for cement has many advantages including:
- Better concrete workability
- Easier finishability
- Higher compressive and flexural strengths
- Lower permeability
- Improved resistance to aggressive chemicals
- More consistent plastic and hardened properties
- Lighter color
Slag is also used to replace Portland cement in mass concrete construction. We have used 60-70% replacements in situations where the project specifications required a maximum concrete temperature of 100° F.
Silica fume
Another material that AVR, Inc. & Affiliates has been using as a partial replacement for cement is Silica fume. Silica fume is a by-product of producing silicon metal or ferrosilicon alloys. Because of its chemical and physical properties, it is a very reactive pozzolan. Concrete containing silica fume can have very high strength and can be very durable.
Placing, finishing, and curing silica fume concrete require special attention on the part of the concrete contractor. One of the most beneficial uses for silica fume is in concrete where it contributes the following advantages:
- Increased concrete strength (12-15,000 psi)
- Increased modulus of elasticity
- Improved durability
- Lower permeability
- Improved resistance to corrosion
Minnesota GreenStar is a Green building certification program for both existing and new residential homes. Minnesota GreenStar promotes healthy, durable, high performance homes, and provides homeowners the knowledge with which to compare the performance of their homes.
Green building is a construction approach that applies the five key concepts of Green building - energy efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, water conservation, site and community. Builders are required to achieve minimum thresholds in these five areas and upon Minnesota GreenStar certification, the homebuilder will be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification as well as the $2,000 tax credit.
AVR, Inc. & Affiliates has become a leader in LEED® and Minnesota GreenStar construction. We were recently chosen to participate as the concrete supplier in the Live Green, Live Smart's The Sustainable House project in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Live Green, Live Smart's The Sustainable House, a LEED® for Homes Pilot Project in the Minneapolis suburbs, has received the US Green Building Council's highest certification score - LEED® Platinum! The Sustainable House is the first remodeled residence to ever receive this ultra-high level of LEED® certification.
The Sustainable House is the first Minnesota GreenStar Gold level home. For more information on The Sustainable House project please visit Live Green, Live Smart's website.
Our participation in each of these programs gives us the ability to assist builders who are interested in these important environmental initiatives. Contact your AVR, Inc. & Affiliates representative for more information.
Water & Material Recycling
AVR, Inc. & Affiliates is in the process of installing plant based truck washout systems that are able to recycle both the washout water and the aggregates from unused concrete.
Pervious concrete has been used for over twenty years, mostly in the Southeast. This concrete allows stormwater to infiltrate directly into the sub grade, minimizing the need for costly land hungry detention ponds and other treatment options. Pervious concrete is becoming increasingly popular because it saves both money and the land needed for development. AVR, Inc. & Affiliates has supplied pervious concrete to several projects and has trained contractors in proper placing and finishing procedures.
AVR, Inc. & Affiliates is a premier distributor of Insulating Concrete Forms. Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) are a great way to build a home or commercial structure. Using ICF forms is a great way to go green, saving the homeowner both energy and money every year. ICF forms make a very sustainable, low impact structure.
We can help you utilize green products and practices in ways that will minimize costs while maximizing returns. Contact us for ideas that will make your project green while conserving resources and saving your green!
For more information on Insulated Concrete Forms please look at our ICF Page.