A new website has been launched to help building professionals learn more about green building material selection, applicable codes and standards, and how chemistry is used to create sustainable products. The www.BuildingwithChemistry.org website was created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and provides information about sustainable building materials for professionals such as facility managers, architects, interior designers and material specifiers.
The website includes a “Green Building” section, which offers an overview of the most popular certification systems, tools, codes and standards as well as strategy tips for specific building types. By utilizing the interactive graphic section, users can find information about how and why certain chemical ingredients are used in many different types of building materials such as carpeting and piping by exploring a virtual mixed-use residential building.
The tool also provides tips for materials selection in addition to data about LCAs, EPDs, multi-attribute considerations, and risk assessments. The ACC hopes that giving building professionals information about how chemistry is utilized in the construction of building materials will help them make smarter, more effective decisions when specifying products.
“Many of the materials and products used to build the homes, schools, and office buildings where we live and work every day rely on the safety, energy savings, durability and other sustainability and performance benefits that the products of chemistry provides,” says Richard Skorpenske, Director of Advocacy and Sustainability at Covestro and Chair of ACC’s Building and Construction Subcommittee. “We created this new website to contribute to thoughtful, informed decisions about the materials in today’s innovative, modern and sustainable building applications.”
