Durable or low-maintenance

Earth Measure, a collaboration between Coldspring and Jason F. McLennan, is a dimension stone product that takes waste from stone manufacturing and cuts it into specific patterns that mimic the natural world. The Fibonacci series is based on spirals found in seashells and other natural elements; the Linear series is closest to standard dimension stone; the MUD series looks similar to drying mud; and the Reptile series mimics the look of reptile skin. Earth Measures can be used for everything from pavers to walls to flooring, so it can transition from exterior to interior and horizontal to vertical applications. Projects work with Coldspring to ensure a pattern meets the designer’s vision and create a CAD diagram that can be proofed. Once cut, the stone is packaged and delivered to the site laid out in a manner that simplifies installation; Coldspring can supply or consult on any of the necessary mounting systems. Stone can be provided from regional quarries depending on project location.

The Galvaply roofing system is designed for slopes as low as 1/4:12 on new construction or retrofits. Galvalume steel panels provide solar reflectance of .75 and emissivity of .80 over a steel framing system with metal flashing and stainless steel drain system and seam fasteners. The company claims the system contains 60% total recycled material and will last for over 40 years. (The company does not delineate how much is post-consumer recycled content, or how it is divided up by system components.) Galvaply is installed with no PAH-releasing tar products or offgassing glues.

The Rainscreen Clip system includes hidden fasteners that create a gap behind wood cladding to allow ventilation, as is typical for a rainscreen system. The clips are painted marine-grade aluminum, and screwed in place into pre-drilled, rot-resistant furring boards. Manufacturer Wood Haven offers a variety of species of lumber in various colors and widths, and also offers matching trim and corner boards. FSC-certified wood is available on request.

Multistack MagLev flooded chillers provide cooling for offices, schools, and other large commercial buildings using compressors with shafts supported by magnetic levitation. By minimizing friction, the system improves energy efficiency and eliminates the need for mechanical seals, gears, and many other conventional components. The systems also reduce maintenance and the use of lubricating oil that tends to to contaminate the refrigerant and further reduce efficiency. Available in capacities from 70 to 1,200 tons, these units use the company’s FlexSys controllers, which can control a series of magnetic levitation compressors to create the most efficient cooling.

Armor S2000 is a sodium-silicate-based penetrating, strengthening concrete sealer with zero VOC content. Armor S2000 is intended for interior or exterior concrete, brick, and masonry; according to the manufacturer it is ideal for basements, where it provides waterproofing up to 100 PSI, prevents mold and mildew, and reduces the transmission of gases including radon. Applied with a garden sprayer, the product penetrates 4” into concrete, according to the company, and reacts with it, working under the surface to strengthen the substrate without leaving behind a coating. One gallon of Armor S2000 can provide two coats on 1,250 ft2 of new concrete, or 700 ft2 of old or porous concrete. It is also available in half-gallon containers, and carries a lifetime warranty.

Johnson Controls York YMC2 chiller uses magnetic-bearing technology to provide energy-efficient cooling for offices, schools, and other large commercial buildings. These units use centrifugal compressors with bearings supported by frictionless magnetic levitation. Combined with the company’s OptiSpeed variable-speed drive technology, these units eliminate friction, improving energy efficiency by 10% over comparable conventional variable-speed chillers, according to the company. The YMC2 chillers also employ falling-film evaporators where refrigerant is sprayed over the tubes, significantly reducing refrigerant charging. The York YMC2 chillers use R-134a refrigerant and are available from 215- to 380-ton capacities.

Daikin McQuay’s Magnitude chiller is engineered to provide cooling for offices, schools, and other large commercial buildings. These units use compressors with shafts supported by magnetic levitation, which improves energy efficiency and eliminates friction and the need for mechanical seals, gears, and many other conventional components. Because they do not use bearings or gears, the Magnitude chiller is quiet and does not require oil (which can contaminate the refrigerant), resulting in significantly less maintenance. Magnitude chillers use R-134a refrigerant and are available from 100- to 700-ton capacities.

TexaStone Quarries produces a variety of architectural limestone products from its quarries and processing center in Big Springs, Texas. The company has adopted the Natural Stone Council's best practice recommendations for quarrying and processing, including filtering and recycling processing water back into its operations. Because the quarry’s limestone sits on the surface, it requires almost no removal of topsoil or vegetation to access the stone. TexaStone limestone is available in shades of beige, including rose and burgundy.

Las Vegas Rock quarries meta-quartzite, a unique stone that looks like sandstone but is as hard as quartz. It can be used for flooring, where it can be polished yet still retain slip resistance; interior or exterior cladding; landscaping; or other applications requiring greater compressive strength. The company has undertaken a number of environmental initiatives: it uses no resins during finishing, creates zero waste from production by collecting fines to be sold to concrete or glass manufacturers and crushing larger pieces for use as landscaping, and filters and recycles all water back through its facilities. Las Vegas Rock is certified Silver through Cradle to Cradle.

Cold Spring Granite, an industry leader in sustainability, offers dimension stone in granite sandstone, limestone, and marble. The company owns a variety of stone quarries and processing facilities across the U.S. and has worked to make its practices more sustainable by recycling all of its industrial water, quarrying stone on demand, using diamond saws instead of explosives to minimize waste, and updating to more energy-efficient equipment. The company also participates in Declare.

Boral manufactures both concrete and clay roofing tiles in a variety of styles and colors. Boral's concrete tiles use either fly ash or blast-furnace slag (depending on where they are manufactured) in place of some of the portland cement. Most colors of Boral clay roofing tiles are certified at the Cradle to Cradle Gold level.

BoralPure "smog-eating" tiles have a cementitious coating that contains titanium dioxide, a highly reactive substance that breaks down organic compounds—everything from smog-forming chemicals to nuisance microbes such as algae and mildew. The coating also sheds even small amounts water, which can lift dirt off as well. Because of these properties, BoralPure tiles may require less cleaning than typical roofing tiles.

Although Boral states that a 2,000-square-foot roof can offset the smog-forming emissions of a car driven 10,800 miles, that claim is based on lab testing. These products have not yet been shown to significantly affect outdoor air quality in the real world.

Daltile’s SlimLite is a large-format porcelain panel that can be used for exterior cladding, walls, countertops, and other solid surfaces. Imported from Italy, these panels have all the performance characteristics of porcelain: they are strong, dense, nonporous, and impervious to moisture. They are also chemical resistant; resist scratching, staining, fading, and cracking; and are not affected by freeze-thaw cycles. Though these panels take significant energy to produce, they should have a very long service life and require minimal maintenance. SlimLite panels are thin—approximately 1/8" (3.5 mm) thick—and flexible, and are available in sizes up to 3' x 10' and more than 40 color and texture options.

Plane from Stonepeak is a large-format porcelain panel that can be used for exterior cladding, walls, countertops, and other solid surfaces. Imported from Italy, these panels have all the performance characteristics of porcelain—they are strong, dense, nonporous, and impervious to moisture. They are also chemical-resistant; flexible; resist scratching, staining, fading, and cracking; and are not affected by freeze-thaw cycles. Though these panels take significant energy to produce, they should have a very long service life and require minimal maintenance. These ¼"-thick (6 mm) panels are available in sizes up to 5' x 10' and come in three colors—white, silver, and Calacatta Vena, a marble simulation printed onto them.

Crossville’s Laminam is a large-format porcelain panel that can be used for exterior cladding, walls, countertops, and other solid surfaces. Made in Italy, these panels are strong, dense, nonporous, and impervious to moisture. They are also chemical resistant and flexible; resist scratching, staining, fading, and cracking; and are not affected by freeze-thaw cycles. Though porcelain takes significant energy to produce, the panels should have a very long service life and require minimal maintenance. Laminam panels are thin—approximately 1/8" (3.0 mm) thick—and are available in sizes up to 3' x 10' and in more than 50 color and texture options.

Thermory wood decking is thermally modified for durability without the use of chemical preservatives. Heated to approximately 400°F in a process Thermory has used in Estonia since the 1990s, the decking is strength-tested at 14,000 lbs/in2 and, according to the company, will resist rot and insects for at least 25 years. Most Thermory decking is made of ash harvested and milled in the U.S. and then shipped to Estonia for thermal treatment, so decking shipped back for use in the U.S. has added embodied energy from transportation. The company does not currently offer FSC certified wood. Thermory decking is available in various sizes.