SUSTAINABLE
Concrete Masonry
Assuring a healthy future one block at a time
Concrete Masonry Units
Architectural Concrete Block
Concrete Brick
Segmental Retaining Walls
Concrete Grid Pavers
Articulated Concrete Block
ConcreteBuilding Blocks for ConcreteBuilding Blocks for
Sustainable Building with Concrete Masonry
From the early days of concrete masonry, right up to the present, those who understood the energy effi-
ciency, durability, and natural aesthetics of concrete masonry have realized that it doesn't take special
efforts to make concrete masonry environmentally friendly…it is a natural building material with unparal-
leled environmental qualities. And concrete masonry has the flexibility to be adapted to specific needs.
Concrete masonry producers are eager to demonstrate how these qualities can contribute to practical
designs, enduring structures and environmental responsibility. Sustainability is about building the quality of
life for now and future generations. This concept includes improving occupant well-being, mitigating envi-
ronmental impacts, and providing reasonable economic returns on investment. Using green building prac-
tices can result in energy and cost savings over the life of the structure. Occupants of green buildings
enjoy improved indoor air quality and day-lit spaces, improved health, comfort and productivity.
Sustainable Sites
Concrete landscape products -
• Do not require large equipment for delivery or placement, nor large staging areas
for construction
• Reduce storm-water runoff with permeable concrete pavers
• Support grass or other plant growth in open cell concrete products
• Reduces development footprint through use of comparatively smaller delivery and placement equipment
and smaller staging areas for construction
Indoor Environmental
Quality
Concrete masonry
• Improves indoor air quality by eliminating
the need to paint, thus reducing associated
volatile organic compounds, when architectural
or prefaced concrete masonry units are
chosen
• Reduces the potential for mold growth
because concrete masonry
does not provide a ready
food source for mold
e MasonrySustainable Development e MasonrySustainable Development
Materials and
Resources
Concrete masonry and concrete
landscape products-
• Made from abundant local raw
materials
• Manufactured close to construction
sites, minimizing fuel requirements
for handling and transportation
• Able to be produced using recycled
aggregates and
cementitious
materials
Innovation and DesignProcess
Concrete masonry
• Improves environmental impacts through lifecycle
considerations
• Improves fire safety for occupants and property
• Improves acoustical performance
Energy and Atmosphere
Concrete masonry -
• Provides high thermal
mass and specific heat, and
therefore thermal storage,
compared to frame wall
construction
• Remains warm or cool
long after the heat or air-conditioning has shut
off, reducing heating and cooling loads
• Improves occupant comfort by moderating
indoor temperature swings
• Shifts peak heating and cooling loads to offpeak
hours
For more infformattion, click or call NCMA ttoday!
703.713.1900 • www.ncma.org
Environmental Responsibility:
A Long-Time Mainstay of the Concrete Masonry Industry
Since 1918, the National Concrete Masonry Association has represented those involved in the
production of concrete masonry. Concrete masonry producers have long provided a wide
assortment of building components that contribute to safe and sustainable construction.
Concrete Masonry Units
Architectural Concrete Block
Concrete Brick
Segmental Retaining Walls
Concrete Grid Pavers
Articulated Concrete Block
The NCMA Education and Research Foundation is a member of The
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the nation's foremost coalition of
leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings
that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to
live and work.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Green
Building Rating System is a voluntary standard that defines high performance
green buildings which are healthier, more environmentally
responsible and more profitable structures. For the concrete masonry
industry, participation in the LEED Rating System development process
is important because concrete masonry has many inherent attributes
that fit the model being shaped by USGBC members.
The NCMA Education and Research Foundation advances and supports
the concrete masonry industry and the public interest through
research and education programs designed to meet the future needs of
the industry. Membership in the USGBC is in alignment
with the concrete masonry industry's mission
and means that the concrete masonry industry is better
positioned to forge strategic alliances with key
industry and research organizations to more clearly
identify and enable research that will transform the
built environment toward a more sustainable future.
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