USG Guides for Green Star Rating Tools
USG Ceilings and Green Star Rating Tools
As populations grow and natural resources are depleted ever more
rapidly, consumers have become increasingly aware of the need to
conserve energy, manage the use of raw materials, reduce waste and
safeguard against pollutants. In response, many developers and
owners now demand buildings with materials and technologies that
will help save energy, preserve the integrity of the surrounding
land, and assure a clean, healthy indoor environment.
The most widely accepted national guidelines for environmentally
conscious building is Green Star developed in Australia by The Green
Building Council of Australia (GBCA), and in New Zealand by The New
Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). As a founding member of the
United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and members of both
the Australian and New Zealand councils. USG is committed to
helping architects and builders create structures that efficiently
meet the needs of occupants while also protecting the surrounding
environment.
Green Star provides a range of third-party certification tools for
verifying that a project has met the technical requirements of
sustainable building through various aspects of its design and
construction. A project may be awarded one of three levels of
certification by earning up to 100 points in nine categories.
| Where USG Acoustical Ceiling Products May Assist in Gaining Points to help a project qualify. | |||
| Green Star Category | Available Points | USG Product Group | Products that May Assist in Qualifying or Credit |
| Indoor Environmental Quality | Daylight, Electrical lighting levels, | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | Using high Light Reflectance (LR) ceiling materials such as USG’s acoustical ceiling panels (LR of .70 to .89) can reduce required luminaries of design space, therefore energy consumption, and improve the quality and quantity of natural light. |
| Internal Noise levels | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | USG manufacture high performance acoustical ceilings tiles that deliver high NRC – Noise Reduction Coefficient (related to the reverberation time of a material) levels, while maintaining excellent CAC – Ceiling Attenuation Class (measurement of the sound transmission of a material) values. These tiles can assist acoustics engineers to maintain the correct acoustic level. | |
| Energy | Office Lighting Power Density | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | Ceiling panels with high light reflectance (LR) can reduce the number of light fixtures needed, curbing energy consumption. |
| Materials | Shell and Core or Integrated Fitout | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | USG Donn Brand suspension system with its patented Quick Release Clip (QRC) makes it easy to disassemble and reuse. |
| When used with a durable cast acoustical ceiling tile you have a system that can be reused in the future. | |||
| Where USG Acoustical Ceiling Products Help With A Holistic Approach to ESD | |||
| Green Star Category | Title | USG Product Group | Products In Keeping With ESD Principals |
| Indoor Environmental Quality | Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | All USG products are low emitters of VOCs and meet the most stringent requirements for emission. USG offers the cleanest and lowest emitting products available. |
| Formaldehyde Minimisation | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | USG offers the widest selection of standard ceilings that satisfy stringent IEQ requirements and guidelines related to VOC and formaldehyde emissions. More than 20 ceiling families deliver zero- or low-emissions performance. | |
| Mould Prevention | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | USG address the issue of mould and microbial growth by providing acoustical ceiling tiles treated with a USG-patented antimicrobial treatment that provides broad spectrum control for mould/mildew. | |
| Materials | Recycled Content | USG Acoustical ceiling Systems | USG Ceiling products are high in recycled content, while maintaining a high durability index or life expectancy. |