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design areas of construction, water conservation, use of renewables, innovation design, LEED certification, materials, sustainable development projects
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Florim is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the most important American association of industries in the building sector aimed at promoting methods of design and construction that lead to a significant reduction or elimination of the negative impact of buildings on the environment.
To enable concrete quantification and correct monitoring of the degree of sustainability achieved by a building project, in 1999 the USGBC established a certification procedure for the development of sustainable buildings called the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
LEED certification, one of the most widespread on the American building market and also adopted in numerous other international contexts, assesses and certifies the sustainability of a building in its entirety, from the design to its day-to-day management (it is therefore not simply a product certification).
The method of certification involves the assignment of a rating to the building based on its compliance with a number of requirements, divided into several major areas:
- sustainable construction sites
- protection of water resources
- energy efficiency and use of renewable sources
- storage, composition, and origin of construction materials and raw materials
- indoor environmental quality
- innovation in design.
As illustrated below, Florim tiles, as part of the system that composes the building, contribute to earning LEED points in various areas.
Materials and resources
LEED certification rewards the use of construction materials that have a significant percentage of pre-consumer recycled content (on average from 20% up). The Florim series with recycled content enable a building to earn up to two LEED credits in this category (MR 4.1 and MR 4.2).
Check the recyclate contents of Cerim collections by consulting the Certification Letters for LEED Projects and Bureau Veritas certificates, which can be downloaded below.
Low-emission materials
In accordance with the requirements established by LEED certification, the finishes used in a building must reduce to a minimum the quantity of indoor air pollutants that are malodorous, irritant, or harmful to the comfort and well-being of both installers and occupants.
Florim tiles release substantially zero values of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and therefore do not emit any pollutants into the air.
Florim products therefore enable a building to earn one LEED credit in this category (EQ 4.2).
The declaration issued by Italian ceramics research and testing institute ‘Centro Ceramico’ concerning VOC emissions of Cerim materials can be downloaded below.
Heat island effect
All surfaces, especially dark ones, absorb sunlight and release it in the form of heat, consequently raising the surrounding temperature: this is what is called the “heat island” effect. Therefore, it is evident that the nature and colour of the materials with which a building is constructed have an impact on this effect.
LEED certification requires the use of materials for floors and exterior cladding that have a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of at least 29 in order to reduce the heat island effect and minimise the impact of a building on the surrounding microclimate. Light-coloured ceramic tiles have a Solar Reflectance Index much higher than 29 and for this reason they considerably reduce the heat island effect, enabling a building to earn one LEED credit in this category (SS 7.1).
Check the heat island effect values of Cerim collections by consulting the Certification Letters for LEED Projects, which can be downloaded below.
Innovation in design
With up to a maximum of 5 credits (category ID 1), the rating system rewards all materials that provide high-level performance in reference to LEED requirements or that guarantee innovative performance features in the areas identified by the Green Building Council.
All Florim ceramic tiles that contain a percentage of pre-consumer recycled material greater than 40% of their weight, for example, fall into this category; the same is true for all the series that are Ecolabel certified.
Find out which Cerim collections have been awarded the Ecolabel seal or are anyway associated with high profile LEED performance by consulting the Certification Letters for LEED Projects and Bureau Veritas certificates, which can be downloaded below.
Emissions statement VOC
 Emissions statement VOC
LEED certification - categories and parameters
 LEED certification - Categories and parameters (Eng)
LEED guidelines for ceramic tiles
LEED guidelines for ceramic tiles (summary)
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