Contents

• Norlite & LEED
• Structural Concrete
• Masonry
• A Holistic Approach

Related Literature

Norlite & LEED – Supporting Sustainable Development

The Norlite Corporation is committed to the long term performance of our products and to sustainable development. We believe that responsible construction will meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system was designed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate building design and construction on how it effects the environment.

Norlite's varied applications apply to many of the six areas of concentration of the LEED System:

Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation and Design Process:

Sustainable Sites

• Limits storm water runoff - allows free draining of soils
• Structural soils - will support healthy vegetation as well as the weight of vehicles
• Bioswales - will help to direct runoff and filter contaminates
• Vegetative filter strips - supports plant growth and filters solids
• Constructed wetlands - unmatched in phosphorus removal
• Rooftop gardens - used in both intensive and extensive applications

Water Efficiencies

• Drought resistant plantings - allows reduction of potable water use
• On-site sewage treatment - supports beneficial microbial action for waste decomposition
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Low thermal conductivity - will increase the thermal performance of the structure
• Mass wall construction - helps to shift the peak heating/cooling loads to off peak times
• Low thermal bridging - helps to maintain building temperature

Materials and Resources

• Lightweight building material - can be used with existing structures and foundations.
• Products made with Norlite are manufactured locally - producers are proximate to jobsites Norlite extracted regionally - 500 mile radius covers large portion of the US population and most major East Coast markets.

Indoor Environmental Quality

• Better thermal performance - will contribute to a thermally comfortable environment
• Not a source of food for mold - helps to prevent sick building syndrome
• Innovation & Design Process
• Lightweight building components - fewer truckloads of material for same wall area

Economics of Sustainability

The value of any building material is predicated on cost, functionality, aesthetics, or a combination of these. Life cycle cost is the only way to evaluate the sustainability of a project. With building products manufactured utilizing Norlite, increased up-front cost is more than offset by the cost savings in reduced concrete and reinforcing in girders, piers, and footings. The operating costs to heat and cool the building will be reduced because of the higher insulating properties of the building materials.

Embodied Energy

The embodied energy of Norlite includes the energy to mine, manufacture, and transport our products to manufacturers for use in building products. The cost of this embodied energy is paid back in a very short period of time. The increased thermal performance of the building products will allow payback in a matter of months. The energy savings realized after this short payback will help to conserve valuable natural resources over the life of the structure.