Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 101: Materials and Resources
The Material and Resources (MR) category focuses attention on the materials employed in constructing the building. There are fourteen points that can be earned in this category, and this is where a good LEED strategic plan can bring the certification up to the higher levels.
There is only one LEED prerequisite for MR, and that is to reduce the waste generated by the facility, once in operation. This requires establishing a recycling operation that encourages recycling of most common items such as paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals. It mandates designating an area and that is accessible, visible and basically encourages regular depositing of these materials.
The first points can be had in the first credit, MR1: Building Reuse, which offers a possibility of four. The intent of the credit is to extend the lifecycle of existing building stock to conserve resources, retain cultural heritage, and reduce the waste and environmental impact of new buildings. It encourages using as much of an existing building structure as possible, which obviously lowers the environmental impact of demolition and new construction. The credit provides 1 point for using 55% of the existing building structure (and that is to say the structural floor, roof decking and building envelope). Two points can be had for 75% and three for using 95% of the basic structure framework. Another point is available for using interior nonstructural elements such as interior walls, floor coverings and doors. If you are doing an existing building rebuild, these are good points to add to the certification tally.
MR 2: Construction Waste Management is intended to limit the construction and demolition debris that would normally be disposed of in landfills, and recycling it back into the manufacturing process. Depending on the percentage of materials that can be recycled or salvaged, up to 2 points can be awarded by ensuring that waste is redirected to other uses whenever possible. This credit encourages identifying informed local haulers and recyclers to handle the materials being removed from the site. Donating these materials to certain charitable organizations has the added benefit of possible financial charitable contribution credits not related to LEED.
MR 3 offers another two points for Material Reuse. The thought here is to encourage reusing building materials and reduce the need for virgin stock, lessening the negative effect involved with extracting and processing of virgin resources. There are a lot of opportunities here to be creative (think of the many different uses for bricks as an example). One point is available for using 5% (based on cost) of these materials, two points for 10%.
The intent of MR 4, Recycled Content, is to increase the demand for building products that incorporate recycled content. Much like the previous credit, the motivation is to reduce the need for virgin materials. It can be a little tricky figuring out what qualifies and how to calculate it, but if you can line up 10% (based on cost) of building materials with recycled content, you can get a point, 20% gets two points. And this is not that hard to do. When one considers that structural steel frequently meets the bill these days, it can be just a matter of documentation.
The fifth credit is designed to encourage the use of materials that are extracted and manufactured within the same general region as the project thus supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impact of transportation. Up to two points can be earned in this MR 5 Regional Materials Credit, one for using 10%, 2 for 20%. These can be easy points to get depending on location. The applicable region is defined as within 500 miles of the project location. Often wood products can meet this bill fairly easily, and sometimes the other credits in the category can be used since material reuse (as an example) meets the criteria.
MR 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials. Rapid Renewable Materials are generally considered to be plants that are typically harvested within a ten-year or shorter cycle. This credit rewards using such materials since they are replenished relatively quickly. Use rapidly renewable materials for 2.5% of the total value of building materials in the project, say specify bamboo, wheatboard, linoleum and the like, and you can add another point to the certification tally.
The last credit in the Material and Resource category provides a point for using Certified Wood. Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and it’s a point. This is a pretty easy point to get since most good sources offer those products anyway, and their cost is not that variable from non-certified wood.
So depending of what type of project is being done, this category provides some decent credits that encourage the responsible use of materials and resources. Renovating an existing building offers a lot of benefits, both financial and environmental, and this category rewards this notion with some good points on the path to LEED certification.
Rick Sebenoler is a LEED AP in Austin, Texas