The Construction Contract Review

Caterpillar World Headquarters Awarded LEED-EB(R) Gold from United States Green Building Council – Press Releases on CSRwire.com

Caterpillar World Headquarters Awarded LEED-EB(R) Gold from United States Green Building Council

Submitted by:Caterpillar Inc.

Categories:Clean Technology, Sustainability

Posted: Feb 05, 2010 – 09:14 AM EST

 

PEORIA, Ill., Feb. 05 /CSRwire/ - The Caterpillar Administration Building, which serves as the company's world headquarters, has been awarded LEED-EB® O+M (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance) Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Achieving the certification makes the Caterpillar facility, located in downtown Peoria, the first building in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area to become LEED-EB certified and the second building in the Caterpillar family to earn the recognition. The Cat Financial Center in Nashville, Tennessee, received LEED-EB certification in April of 2009. LEED is a third-party certification program and a recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED-Gold certification is the second highest rating obtainable in the system.

LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable sites, water savings, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.

"Every day members of Team Caterpillar look for opportunities to apply their expertise, technology and common sense to address environmental issues," said Greg Folley, vice president of Caterpillar's Human Services Division. "Successfully identifying and managing our environmental footprint reduces environmental impacts where we all live and work, makes good business sense and is simply the right thing to do for our community, employees, customers and shareholders."

Specific highlights include:

• Decreased energy consumption by 40 percent through improved control systems, operating methods, and lighting automation.


• Implemented a new irrigation system for all landscaped areas resulting in a 50-percent water use reduction.


• Implemented a green cleaning program with new environmentally-friendly chemicals and developed an improved pest management program utilizing the least toxic methods.


• Leveraged Caterpillar's purchasing and recycling practices to reduce the environmental impact of materials used and conducted waste stream audits to drive continuous improvement efforts.

More information on the LEED green building certification system is available at www.usgbc.org/LEED.

About Caterpillar:
For more than 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2009 sales and revenues of $32.396 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines a

via www.csrwire.com

Green Construction Technology: Concrete Bricks

Pozzotive Plus CMUs and Concrete Brick from Kingston Block

Pozzotive Plus concrete masonry units (CMUs) and concrete facing brick are manufactured using up to 30% post-consumer recycled glass as a portland cement substitute and an average of 50% post-consumer recycled masonry aggregate from local sources in the Northeast. The recycled glass pozzolan (with the tradename Pozzotive), made by Empire Resource Recycling, LLC, is ground to about 15 microns (a finer powder than portland cement) and used in place of the cement, saving about one ton of CO₂ for every ton of cement replaced.

Pozzotive Plus CMUs have been made with up to 90% recycled aggregate, though 50% is typical. Compared to conventional CMUs and brick, Pozzotive Plus products require less energy to produce, are stronger, and have greater moisture and chemical resistance, according to the company. Both products meet and exceed ASTM C-90 for Loadbearing Concrete Masonry Units and C-129 for Nonloadbearing Concrete Masonry Units, and the brick meets and exceeds ASTM C-1634 for concrete facing brick. The company’s brick is manufactured with a standard bed depth of 3-5/8" and is available in three sizes: Modular (2-1/4" x 7-5/8"); Ledge (2-1/4" x 15-5/8"); and Royal (3-3/4" x 15-5/8"). In addition a Partition brick is available for interior applications (5-5/8" x 3-3/4" x 15-5/8"). Architectural CMUs are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Both the brick and CMU come in nine standard colors, in either ground-face or suede finish.

What makes this product green?

• Exceptional durability or low maintenance
• Post-consumer recycled content
• Reduce impacts from construction or demolition

LEED Credit relevance:

• MR Credit 4 — Recycled content

Reviewed in EBN: November 2009
View GreenSpec listing

More information:

Kingston Block & Masonry Supply, LLC
270 North Ave., Suite 200
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Phone: 914-633-3393
www.kingstonblock.com

via www.buildinggreen.com

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Absolutely Free Home Remodeling – A Tough Way to Make a Living

Offering absolutely free home remodeling to consumers is a tough way to make a living.  But many home remodeling contractors are often at risk for doing expensive home repairs and remodeling without getting paid a dime – legally.

 

Numerous states have strict statutes that, in the name of consumer protection,

offer draconian remedies against what legislatures perceive to be unscrupulous contractors.  Honest, good-faith contractors, however, can get caught in some of these legislative traps if they are not diligent in their paperwork. 

 

The Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act (HRRA) is a good example of requirements for consumer contracts. For any home repair or remodeling contract over $1,000, a person engaging in the business of home repair and remodeling is required in Illinois to provide the consumer with a copy of the "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights" pamphlet.  A clear, concise, and complete written contract that spells out the who, what, where, when, and total cost of the project is required.  In addition, the contract is required to give the name and address of the person engaged in the business of home repair or remodeling. If the contractor uses a post office box, mail service, or agent to receive business correspondence, the contract must state the contractor's home address. 

 

 

Related enforcement statutes and court cases interpreting these statutes have had some painful outcomes for contractors.  Failure to abide by the HRRA may preclude a contractor from recovering unpaid contract balances or extra work, force a return of any money received, open up a contractor to further damages, attorney fees or possible sanctions from the Attorney General.  Homeowners in Illinois have received FREE home additions from contractors who failed to follow some of these statutes. 

The attorneys at Mayfield | Broderick can help contractors develop consumer contracts and practical checklists for dealing with residential homeowners.  It would be a lot cheaper to pay us a small flat fee for this preventative consultation than to perform free work for a consumer – can’t make that up in volume.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickdawson/522097877/