In the “3 R’s” hierarchy, the first principle is reduce. Less is more. Small is beautiful. While decorative finishes are wonderful and add beauty and comfort to our world, each layer of material we add uses more natural resources, and the energy and additional resources needed to harvest or extract the raw materials, process and transport them. It adds up. While all this activity helps drive the economy, sustainability is all about balance. Reducing the scale and rate of resource consumption, by reducing what we use, when it makes sense, helps achieve that balance.  Unlike other concrete slab products that are pre manufactured in pre determined sizes, only to be cut and shaped to produce the end product (typically a waste factor of over 20%!), our precast products utilize molds that are project specific, therefore, we pour only what is needed to satisfy the project demand which produces virtually no waste material!

 

While LEED doesn’t currently award points for minimizing material use, several green home building rating programs do. Nonetheless, using concrete as a finish material can save money, reduce maintenance and repair, contribute to cleaner indoor air (fewer places for allergens and mold to take up residence), and offers many unique and beautiful design capabilities.