Standards & Compliance Briefing: LEED Certification, Energy Star Builder, Cedar Grove Composting, IESO/RIA 6001-2011

The Primera Terra luxury condominium community, designed by KTGY Group and built by KB Home, has earned the  National Association of Home Builders BALA platinum designation for neighborhood design. The community in Playa Vista, Calif., also achieved LEED Platinum certification. The community is 40 percent more energy efficient than the new home standards set by the state of California, KTGY said.

Planning Design Research has become the first Houston workplace to earn the LEED Platinum for commercial interiors. The office has a 94-percent rate of day-lighted occupied spaces and a 92-percent rate of seat with a view to outdoors; 56 percent of materials used in the PDR workplace were manufactured regionally, PDR said.

Chick-fil-A’s Montgomery Plaza location in Fort Worth, Texas, received LEED Gold certification, making it the first LEED Gold-certified restaurant in the city. Chick-fil-A has committed to build four more LEED designed restaurants in 2012, and its other sustainable goals include cup recycling, energy and water efficiency in existing restaurants, and sustainable supply chain, the company said.

The Welcome Centre at the University of Minnesota, Morris, has earned LEED Gold certification. The facility includes green features such wind turbines, a biomass plant, chilled beams to cool the building, and use of reclaimed materials in the renovation of the 100-year-old building, World Interior Design Network reports.

Apple’s Maiden, N.C., data center has earned LEED Platinum certification, and when completed it will be powered by what the company says will be the nation’s largest end-user-owned solar array, CNet reports. As well, according to USA Today, Apple said it will allow independent environmental reviews of at least two suppliers’ factories in China.

Caruso Homes, headquartered in Crofton, MD, has officially become Energy Star partner builder by aiming to build homes that are  20 to 30 percent more efficient than the standard home. Features necessary to maintain the partnership include the use of effective insulation systems, high- performance windows, efficient heating and cooling equipment, Energy Star-qualified lighting and appliances., and third-party verification of standards, the company said.

Hygiene product company SCA announced that all of its paper towel and napkin products have been certified for commercial composting under the Cedar Grove Composting standards. Cedar Grove Composting conducts compostable testing and product reviews to ensure an environmentally responsible product lifecycle. SCA’s Tork paper towels and napkins have also received manufacturing related certification from EcoLogo and Green Seal.

LDRA, a U.K.-based standards compliance software maker, has created LDRA Certification Services (LCS), a division to provide services for customers to develop certification-ready products. The LCS team includes Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated engineering representatives (DER) and safety engineering experts, as well as other software and electronic hardware development and verification specialists, the company said.

The Indoor Environmental Standards Organization’s  IESO/RIA 6001-2011 standard for evaluation of HVAC surfaces after a fire in the structure has been approved by ANSI. The standard has been in development with the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) since 2009 and will be used in the field to help determine if fire-related residues have been deposited on HVAC interior surfaces, IESO said.

ISG technology’s European Support Centre (ESC), in Sofia, Bulgaria, has achieved ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, their first accreditation process since opening in 2008. The UK branches of the company have been accredited with the certifications for 17 years, ISG technology announced.