As we all know, concrete parking lots can play a major role in helping a design team earn credits for LEED certification, reports NRMCA Senior National Resource Doug O'Neill. Because of the light color of concrete a design team can take advantage of the "Reducing the Heat Island Effect" credit which accounts for one LEED point. If conventional concrete is used in conjunction with pervious concrete to address stormwater issues, then the opportunity exists to earn a possible three credits just for the parking lot. The Regional Priority Credits offer additional advantages to concrete parking lots in many areas of the country - these were first introduced in LEED 2009 and are designed to take into account the differences in environmental priorities across the country. For instance, the heat island effect may not be as much of a worry in rural areas, but in highly congested areas the heat island effect may be a concern.

"Unfortunately, concrete is not on the minds of most design teams so it’s up to us to remind them of our vast superiority as a building material," O'Neill said. "Learning what the Regional Priority Credits are for a particular project location is easy. Simply go to the USGBC’s Web site and plug in the ZIP code of the project location. You’ll be shown the six possible Regional Priority Credits for that location. The design team is able to take advantage of up to four of these six credits and, in many cases, concrete can play a role. Now you’re informed, so on your next LEED project take a minute to look at the Regional Priority Credits and maybe you’ll be able to make a case for concrete’s advantages."

For more information, contact Doug O'Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.