Sustainability is a hot topic in the modern construction industry. These days, more and more project managers are looking for ways to make their buildings eco-friendly – and in many cases, these professionals choose to follow the LEED rating system.
Reliable retaining walls can go a long way toward helping your project earn LEED certification, especially if you build these structures with precast lagging wall systems. If you want to learn more about LEED and the role precast lagging panels play in this rating system, keep reading for our in-depth guide.
What Is the LEED Rating System?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s LEED framework is an internationally used rating system for eco-friendly construction. This system makes it easier for people and organizations to develop truly green buildings (and to enjoy the cost savings and environmental advantages these projects deliver).
The LEED framework analyzes projects from many different perspectives, including:
- Energy and water use
- Material selection
- Waste management
- Indoor environmental quality
To achieve LEED certification, a project must meet prerequisites and earn additional points. Projects are awarded points during Green Business Certification Inc.’s verification and review process.
Depending on the number of points they earn, projects can receive four different levels of LEED certification:
- Certified: 40-49 points
- Silver: 50-59 points
- Gold: 60-79 points
- Platinum: 80+ points
Why LEED Certification Matters
The USGBC has stated that getting LEED certification for construction projects can unlock benefits like:
Reduced carbon emissions. Based on a University of California, Berkeley study, buildings that followed LEED standards created 50% less greenhouse gases related to water consumption than “traditional” buildings did. These buildings also had 48% lower greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste and 5% lower greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
Lower utility expenses. LEED-certified buildings consistently use less energy than other buildings, allowing owners to spend less on utilities for these structures.
Increased interest from potential tenants. According to a Cushman and Wakefield report on LEED-certified buildings between 2010 and 2020, these buildings had notably lower vacancy rates and higher profits than uncertified properties. In fact, profits for these buildings were 11% higher than profits on uncertified properties in the five most recent years analyzed in this report.
Tax breaks. Depending on where it’s located, your LEED-certified building may qualify for tax benefits. This is especially important for LEED-compliant structures located in special economic growth zones, as you may have to pay little or no state or local taxes on these buildings.
How Precast Lagging Panels Make Projects More Sustainable
You’ll need to do everything you can to reduce your project’s environmental impact while pursuing LEED certification. Fortunately, precast lagging panels can deliver benefits related to:
Material Use
Many precast concrete products incorporate industrial byproducts (like silica fume, fly ash, and slag) that would normally end up in landfills. With these materials, precast concrete manufacturers can use less cement in their products, reducing the overall carbon footprint of their manufacturing process.
The extended lifespan of precast concrete will also make your retaining wall more sustainable in the long run. According to the National Precast Concrete Association, precast concrete products have an average service life of 50 to 100 years. Because of that, you shouldn’t need to replace new lagging panels in the foreseeable future.
Energy Efficiency
Precast concrete is an excellent choice for buildings thanks to its energy efficiency benefits. If you ask your concrete manufacturer to include cast-in insulation during the manufacturing process, you’ll have no trouble keeping your building’s energy load to a minimum.
While energy efficiency isn’t a concern for retaining walls in the same way it is for buildings, it’s still worth taking into consideration. If you think carefully about retaining wall placement, these walls could do double duty as thermal barriers for other nearby structures. Doing that (and using precast concrete lagging panels in your retaining walls) can help you use less energy to heat and cool these buildings.
Water Conservation
Among many other credits, the LEED rating system includes a credit for rainwater management. This credit encourages developers to retain and infiltrate/reuse rainwater on their properties.
High-quality retaining walls made with precast lagging panels can assist developers in their efforts to earn this credit. For the best possible results, make sure your lagging panels include features designed with rainwater management in mind.
Air Quality and Pollution
Compared to cast-in-place concrete, precast concrete is a much better choice for the environment. Since precast concrete is made in controlled facilities, manufacturers will only deliver the finished product to your job site – keeping any potential pollutants far away.
The construction process for precast concrete structures is much quicker than building structures with cast-in-place concrete, as well. Because of that, dust emissions won’t be as high as they would be otherwise, and the air quality on your job site won’t suffer as a result.
Recyclability and Reusability
If your precast lagging panels are in good condition, you may be able to reuse them in other projects. By doing that, you can significantly reduce the amount of concrete you use (and your project’s total environmental impact).
Even if you can’t reuse a panel as-is, recycling used precast concrete will give this material a new lease on life. Once a precast concrete structure has been demolished, you can mix the resulting concrete aggregate with new concrete and use it to make more precast concrete. Best of all, precast concrete made with recycled materials is as durable and reliable as completely new concrete.
Your Number-One Choice for Eco-Friendly Precast Concrete
Whether you’ve used precast lagging wall systems in dozens of retaining walls or you’ve never created one of these walls before, choosing the right supplier will make or break your project. By working with American Precast Concrete Inc., you’ll have a chance to pay highly competitive prices for the best precast lagging panels on the market.
If you’re ready to get started on a retaining wall for your LEED-compliant construction project, there’s no reason to wait. Instead, get in touch with us today!