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Sustainability & Environment

In The Photos – Fossil Trace Golf Club is located in Golden, Colorado and is one of Colorado’s premier public golf courses. Jim Engh, a renowned golf course architect, constructed the course with the original landscape in mind, a large reclaimed clay mine from Lakewood Brick & Tile Co. Large outcropping of rock and some of the original mining equipment are still on the course today. This is a great example of how innovative ideas come from the clay mine reclamation process and how it can have a positive impact on the surrounding environment.

Our Commitment

Summit Brick Company is committed to sustainability and the preservation of our environment. We are proud members of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and we run all of our operations with the goal of eliminating adverse environmental impacts. We work with the communities in which we operate to make sure we are good stewards of the environment, as well as exceeding all legislation, regulations, standards, and codes that are in place. Summit Brick makes a point to do business with other contractors and suppliers who have the same commitment we do. Our goal is to make the world a better place for future generations.

Masonry Products...Excellence in Sustainable Designs and the Environment

More and more communities, architects, and owners are requiring sustainable design as the world moves towards a “green” environment. With sustainability in mind, buildings are being constructed to have a small carbon footprint and to lessen the impact on the environment. Masonry is expected to have a very long-life expectancy (100 years +) and as it’s a durable building material, it has little to no maintenance. Clay is an abundant natural resource that can be found all over the world and is easily recycled. Almost all of today’s masonry contains recycled content and offers many sustainable attributes; including efficient mining and manufacturing, acoustical and fire resistance, low maintenance, durability, and energy efficiency.

If you would like more information on how we can assist you in designing your LEED project, please don’t hesitate to contact us. To download Western States Clay Products Association’s brochure on sustainable design, please click on this link for access to the PDF file.

Introducing: Carbon Core

Carbon Core brick and pavers gain durability beyond traditional masonry as CO2 filters into the brick's pores post manufacturing. This process transforms empty pore spaces into solid limestone, resulting in superior freeze-thaw and cracking resistance. Carbon Core sequesters more carbon dioxide than is produced through the manufacturing process. A 2-kg clay brick has approximately 550g of embodied carbon, so adding 31wt.% of olivine sand per brick achieves net zero. The quantities of olivine can be increased if a project's goals exceed net zero. Visit the Carbon Core website, here, to learn more.

How to earn LEED points with masonry

  • Clay masonry can make a significant contribution toward earning LEED points on a project. While no one product or material alone can earn LEED credit points*, clay masonry can be used as part of a strategy to earn points in 15 credit categories.

Sustainable Sites

  • Credit 2 – Development density – masonry used for urban in fill development.
  • Credit 5.2 – Reduced site disturbance – masonry used to minimize the footprint of the development.
  • Credits 6.1 and 6.2 – Storm water management – permeable pavements used to reduce the rate and quantity, and improve treatment of, runoff.
  • Credit 7.1 – Non-roof Heat Island – pavers with a Solar Reflectance Index of 29 or higher help reduce the heat island effect.

Energy & Atmosphere

  • Prerequisite 2 – Minimum energy performance – masonry can mitigate temperature swings and help achieve the required energy performance.
  • Credit 1 – Optimize energy performance – clay masonry can be used as part of a passive solar design to further reduce the amount of energy consumed by the building.

Innovation & Design

  • Up to 4 points: Clay masonry can help earn points for good acoustics; use of durable materials; good indoor environmental quality (no-VOC; no mold); resource efficiency (using one material to achieve multiple goals) *Certified wood is the only product that can earn 1 point through its use under Materials & Resource Credit.

Materials & Resources

  • Credits 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 – Building reuse – clay masonry buildings are good candidates for reuse .
  • Credits 2.1 and 2.2 – Construction waste management – capitalizing on the modular nature of clay masonry can nearly eliminate waste; scrap materials can be crushed and used as landscape chips.
  • Credits 3.1 and 3.2 – Resource reuse – salvaged brick can be reused with careful consideration.
  • Credits 4.1 and 4.2 – Recycled content – clay masonry may incorporate recycled materials as colorants, grog or aggregate; clay masonry is inert so recycled materials are safely encapsulated.
  • Credits 5.1 and 5.2 – Local/regional materials – clay masonry is locally produced and raw materials are mined locally.

Indoor Environmental Quality

  • Credit 4 – Low-emitting materials – clay masonry meets the intent of eliminating VOC’s from the indoor environment when exposed as interior walls or floors.

For over 100 years, Summit Brick Company has made it our mission to commit to customer service and provide beautiful, high quality clay masonry products which inspires architectural elegance.

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