News > SlenderWall® News > Press Releases
May 09, 2008
SlenderWall System Can Contribute 14 Points to LEED Certification
MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland
Corporation (SMC) announced today that the SlenderWall system
meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards,
providing a contribution of up to 14 points toward LEED Certification. The
SlenderWall system was reviewed by the Construction Testing Laboratory
(CTL), an independent testing lab. CTL rendered
an opinion regarding SlenderWall’s contribution
toward LEED’s Certification for the U.S. Green Building Council’s
(USGBC) strict criteria designed to promote sustainable buildings for
the conservation of energy and resources and the protection of the
environment. The LEED Green Building Rating
System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction
and operation of high-performance green buildings.
According
to the CTL report, LEED’s points are
awarded for environmentally friendly actions taken during design, construction
and use phases of a building project. If designed and built according to
accepted principles of energy conservation and environmental protection, SlenderWall
can be used to contribute on up to 14 points in the version 2.2 of LEED for New
Construction and Major Renovations. “This recognition
underscores Smith-Midland’s commitment to environmental stewardship, which
is a critical part of our company’s vision,” said Ashley Smith, Vice-President
of Sales and Marketing for SMC. “This achievement is only the beginning
as we continue to make design enhancements to the SlenderWall system to contribute
on additional LEED credits.”
SlenderWall is an architectural
precast concrete and steel stud building panel. It consists of
two inches of architectural precast concrete with galvanized welded-wire-fabric
reinforcing steel, a ½-inch
thermal break air space, and an insulated 6-inch deep galvanized (or
stainless) steel stud frame. The joints between panels are sealed
with two layers of caulk sandwiching a drain strip. The drain
strip is a secondary drainage system that also allows leak-detection
inspection of potential failure of the caulk. The exterior face
of the panel is the finished face. Finishes
are available in a variety of colors and textures, including precast
brick, granite, limestone, and sandstone.
SlenderWall can help earn
LEED points in the following categories:
- Optimize Energy Performance, Energy and Atmosphere – Up
to four points can be earned for using SlenderWall. This
credit is awarded if energy cost savings can be shown compared to
a baseline building that meets requirements ANSI/ASHRAW/IESNA Standard
90.1-2004 Energy Standard for Buildings except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. SLENDERWALL provides
energy savings due to its combination of thermal
mass, air tightness, and thermal breaks. - Materials and Resources – Up to six
points can be earned in this category.
- Construction Waste Management, Materials and Resources – Credit is given for diverting construction debris from disposal in landfills. Since SlenderWall panels are prefabricated at the plant and assembled on-site with precut steel and precast concrete, there is virtually no on-site waste associated with building the walls.
- Recycled Content, Materials and Resources – Rewards the use of materials with recycled content. SLENDERWALL is compatible with all designated recycled materials.
- Regional Materials, Materials and Resources – Supports the use of indigenous (local) resources and reduced transportation distances. SlenderWall qualifies in this category because the source of the raw materials (cement and aggregate) are within 100 miles of the plant. The source of the reinforcing steel is within 500 miles of the plant and SlenderWall panels are produced within 500 miles of the project site.
- Innovation and Design Process – Four points can
be awarded if an innovative green design strategy is used that does
not fit into the point structure of the five LEED
categories or if it goes significantly beyond a credit requirement and demonstrates exceptional environmental performance.- Life cycle CO2 Reduction – Credit is given for concrete mixes that are specifically designed to use 40% less Portland cement than standard mixes. The SlenderWall system is only 2 inches thick and thus uses less Portland cement than typical concrete systems.
- Durability – The SlenderWall system is a durable system because it consists of concrete, which is inherently durable, and a sealing system (two layers of caulk with a secondary drainage strip) that is designed for easy inspection and quick location of leaks.
- Resource-Efficient Cladding System – Credit for the innovative nature of a resource-efficient structural system (35% less than several other systems.) The SlenderWall project team leader would provide calculations that show the weight and material use of the SlenderWall system on a particular building project is significantly less than typical systems if they were to be used on the same project.
In addition, one point can
be given if the principal participant of the project team is
a LEED Accredited Professional.
SlenderWall combines time-proven
components to create a permanent, light weight wall system for both
new construction and recladding projects. Architectural precast
concrete, insulated Nelson anchors and heavy-gauge stainless or galvanized
steel studs create a single,
efficient exterior wall system with unlimited design freedom.
Due to the exclusive “Lift-and-Release TM” panel
landing system of SlenderWall, installation time and costs can
be reduced by 50%.
Architectural Precast Concrete Brick, or Second
Nature™,
is the only “Class A” Architectural Precast Concrete
Brick finish with the quality level necessary for “Class
A” commercial projects. It
features no leaking brick joints.
Only SlenderWall offers the latest
DURAFLEX 360°TM
technology. This technology is the only 2” wall connection system
that meets AAMA 501.4-2000, the Interstory Differential Movement vertical
and horizontal displacement test. DURAFLEX 360°TM allows isolation
from the exterior precast concrete skin and the structural stresses
associated with wind loading, steel frame movement, expansion & contraction
and seismic shock.
Smith-Midland Corporation is a publicly traded company
(OTC BB: SMID, SMIWC; Boston Stock Exchange: SMM,
SMM/W). Smith-Midland develops, manufactures and sells a broad
array of precast concrete products for use primarily in the construction,
transportation and utilities industries. Smith-Midland has two
manufacturing facilities located in Midland, Virginia and Reidsville,
North Carolina. Easi-Set Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Smith-Midland Corporation, licenses the production of Smith-Midland
developed products around the world. For more information please
call (540) 439-3266 or visit www.smithmidland.com or www.slenderwall.com.
Media Inquiries:
Marti Cameron
media@easiset.com
Licensing Inquiries:
info@easiset.com
