Terrazzo Helping Lead the Way for Sustainable Buildings

Over the years, the campaign to recycle has been stressed numerously. With a greater acceptance to preserve our planet’s resources more than ever before, the construction industry shifts the focus on building a better future involving the development of sustainable buildings. Sustainable buildings will continue to rise in the next decade, emphasizing the need to conserve energy, water, and waste. In truth, the world’s natural resources may someday be depleted, but we can do something about that today. By taking action to recycle materials and promoting the construction of sustainable buildings, we can preserve our natural resources.

The term “eco-friendly” refers to maintaining a green environment. Today, companies continue to invest in research. As a result, we have been introduced to efficient LED light bulbs and solar-powered cars in recent years. With TERRAZZCO engineers testing the use of terrazzo daily, we can claim that eco-friendliness is a benefit of terrazzo.

The First “Green” Building Material

In fact, terrazzo may be one of the first “green” building systems in the world. Stepping back to the 15th century, Venetian workers initiated their own green movement by finding a way to reuse marble chips into their floor installations. With the progress of new technological advancements, the installation process is simpler than before and terrazzo remains a benefactor in promoting sustainable buildings to this day.

To give you a little background about terrazzo, the material has strong durability, design flexibility, and aesthetic beauty. Behind the scenes, construction workers create terrazzo by combining a mixture of recycled aggregates, glass, or plastic with epoxy resin. As a result, terrazzo transforms schools, hospitals, government centers, and other properties in durable and beautifully-designed spaces.

Shifting over to air quality, terrazzo can play an important role in achieving clean air. Terrazzo is bacteria resistant and VOC-free as well. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. Compounds such as cosmetics, paints, and disinfectants have high vapor pressures at regular room temperature, creating health hazards. Some hazards could lead to short-term effects such as nasal irritation or long-term effects such as cardiovascular disease or cancer. With VOC-free air quality, terrazzo reduces the risk of health hazards tremendously. Ultimately, these benefits earn credit on the LEED rating system. Not sure what LEED is?

Try Our Green Terrazzo System

Architects and designers can find innovative and sustainable products from TERRAZZCO Brand Products. Green Terrazzo is an epoxy terrazzo system made from renewable ingredients that are not Red Listed. This terrazzo product is designed to support modern sustainable building practices that promote human health and protect the environment.

Understanding LEED

In short, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is one of the highest achievements in green building certification. The U.S. Green Building Council developed the certification and base the program on a set of standards in design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings (Wikipedia). LEED-certified buildings intend to use resources more efficiently. A building’s design can have long-lasting effects within our society. As we build for the future, the hope is to bring a positive result not only to the environment but also the people.

Overall, TERRAZZCO® is doing its part to preserve the world.

With sustainable buildings on the rise, we expect more architects to include more “green” material such as terrazzo into their designs.

TERRAZZCO® Brand Product is your go-to supplier for green building products across the United States and North America. Whether you’re in need of terrazzo materials or solutions, we’ve got you covered. As a single-source supplier, we have everything you need to fulfill your terrazzo requirements. If you have any questions or inquiries about terrazzo, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today by completing our online form.

Sources: Wikipedia, http://www.usgbc.org/