Leed guidelines ready for marble and stone, which is a tool for company innovation and competitiveness.

Marmomacc and the University of Trento have prepared - the first in Italy, to the benefit of all companies in the sector - “Guidelines for the application of Leed credits to decorative stones and marbles”. The document clearly and practically explains to all operators the Leed credits which stone material, given its technical-structural characteristics, can contribute towards the attainment of a score in the certification of a building. It must be mentioned that Leed is certification of buildings and not of products - consequently, Leed criteria refer to the “building system” and not to the individual materials used in the project. Stone material alone cannot ensure that attainment of the score for the issue of one of the Leed certifications.

Launched in the United States in 1999 by the US Green Building Council with the objective of providing all trade operators with a tool for certification of building sustainability, Leed certification, thanks to characteristics of independence, rigour and credibility, is by now well-established all over the world as “the certification” and has become synonym with quality. Buildings with Leed certificates enjoy higher market value: it is self-evident that supplying products contributing in a certified manner to the attainment of a "good Leed score" for a building is a significant competitive factor for companies.
 
The Italian marble, granites and natural stone industry now has an operative instrument helping it propose “Leed compliant” products. Leed is by now virtually an essential pre-condition for new constructions all over the world: The Olympic Village and the Shanghai Expo Buildings in China have Leed certificates, as will the stadiums for the next Football World Cup in Brazil 2014 - to mention only some examples.In more detail, the document developed by Marmomacc and the Faculty of Building Engineering and Architecture, University of Trento - coordinated by Professor Giorgio Cacciaguerra of the Trento University, Professor Massimo Caviasca of Milan Polytechnic University and Mauro Albano, Brand Manager of Marmomacc - outlines these credits: re-use of materials, content of recycled material, regional materials, heat island effect, including roofs and coverages, minimum energy performance, energy performance optimisation, low emission materials such as adhesive components and sealants, paints and finishing/cladding. Each of these credits is detailed in a specific info card that identifies the objective to be reached and the necessary requirements, providing correct definitions, reference standards and the interpretative key for the parameter.