Even in the commercial and industrial flooring industry, there is much concern over using high-quality products that won’t drastically affect the environment. Many companies, including Blair Duron, are actively seeking ways to use environmentally-friendly products and yet still produce results that will last.
For this purpose, we utilize a variety of LEED-certified products. We are very selective in what we will or will not use and have carefully selected the most reliable options within this category.
What is LEED
LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Any product that is LEED certified has been approved by the US Green Building Council as being a solution that is healthy for the environment, highly efficient in nature, and will provide cost-saving results.
Building projects that use LEED products are often given points for doing so, because they utilize green building practices and display cautious mindfulness towards the environment and efficiency in doing so.
The products are carefully chosen within a specific realm of characteristics in order to boost the points so that a building can be LEED-certified. The certification is for the structure itself.
LEED Levels
When a building chooses to become LEED certified, there are four different levels. These levels are based on the number of points builders accumulate in the building process. Everything from floors to other areas of the building are counted in these points. These 4 levels are
Each category requires a specific number of points to reach, with platinum being the highest attainable level. Just to be certified, a building must accumulate 40 points. For silver, they must reach 50 points. For gold, it’s 60 points. Anything over 80 is platinum.
Each product is carefully reviewed by a designated board. There are certain guidelines and prerequisites that determine points. The board looks at the overall ability to save money in the building, improve efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions.
The assessment teams will review carbon emissions, energy usage and efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, materials used, indoor environment quality, health quality, and even transportation.
LEED Products
Products that are considered to be LEED certified are those that have low emittance rates. They reduce overall waste, last a long time, and will be durable and efficient when placed.
Some things that qualify a product for LEED certification are details such as where the materials are sourced from. Locally sourced products are certainly a hit. From there, you can look at whether the flooring materials are made of recycled content.
There are several different types of flooring materials that use recycled materials to create the flooring product. And finally, are the materials low emitting and less likely to contribute to carbon dioxide emissions?
It’s all about sustainability.
Blair Duron’s Commitment to the Environment
At Blair Duron, we recognize the need to protect the environment and actively work to choose solutions that will help a building be LEED-certified.
These are the brands that we turn to for LEED-approved flooring solutions:
- Sherwin-Williams
- Dur-A-Flex
- Sika
Within each of these brands, there are multiple options to choose from that can fit the category. The product we use will directly contribute to your LEED points for you to attain the highest certification level possible.
Count on us to help you develop a reliable solution that protects the environment in the process. We are committed to LEED certifications and projects.