Build With Strength (BWS) representatives recently met Massachusetts’ Climate Chief’s Director of Strategic Initiatives Nick Black in Boston. Participants (seen here, from left to right) included NRMCA Director of Sustainability, Codes and Standards, Tiffany Reed-Villarreal; NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Frank Mruk; MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Director and Principal Research Scientist Randolph Kirchain; MaCAPA Executive Director Craig Dauphinais and Build With Strength Massachusetts members Matthew McKenna and Guy Glodis.
The conversation focused on decarbonizing the construction industry through sustainable materials and practices. The BWS Massachusetts team emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration and highlighted the work of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub. The benefits of moving from prescriptive toward performance-based specifications to promote sustainability were discussed in addition to exploring the potential of life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The group highlighted the importance of designing buildings with resilience and sustainability, particularly in the face of climate change.
NRMCA regularly engages with state and federal agencies on technical aspects of sustainability standards for the design of high-performance green buildings and advocates for provisions favorable to the ready mixed concrete industry.
For more information about NRMCA’s engagement with policymakers on sustainability, contact Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, P.E. at treedvillarreal@nrmca.org.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association