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Long-spans amplify the collaborative relationship between architects and engineers

By: Richard C. Master, AIA, CSI
Chair Emeritus, Specifications and Building Technology, Professional Interest Area (PIA), AIA
Manager, Architectural Systems
USG Corporation

A product with high recycled content or other obvious environmental benefits is usually a solid choice for sustainable design. However, mitigating factors, such as the product’s embodied energy or its impact on a building’s life cycle energy usage, must be weighed in order to make the best sustainable choices.

In the end, well-researched green product selections, combined with intelligent sustainable specifications, offer architects a practical and effective solution for helping conserve our natural resources, while meeting a growing demand for environmentally friendly design and construction practices.

About USG

USG Corporation is a Fortune 500 company with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their key product groups: gypsum wallboard, joint compound and related gypsum products; cement board; gypsum fiber panels; ceiling panels and grid; and building products distribution. United States Gypsum Company, a subsidiary of USG Corporation, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of gypsum board panels and the largest user of recaptured gypsum. The company uses more than 2.3 million tons of recaptured gypsum annually in the production of its SHEETROCK® Brand Gypsum Panels. Overall, the panels contain an average of 31 percent recycled content – 5 percent post-consumer waste and 26 percent post-industrial waste. The company also manufactures FIBEROCK® Brand Sheathing with AQUA-TOUGH™ and FIBEROCK Brand Underlayment – AQUA-TOUGH, both of which are made from a gypsum fiber manufacturing process that utilizes 95 percent recycled materials. The panels offer an excellent sustainable alternative to wood-based panels, most notably lauan, which is harvested from endangered, old-growth forests. USG Interiors, another subsidiary of USG Corporation, is the only manufacturer to offer a limited lifetime warranty against mold growth on acoustical ceiling panels. The warranty is offered on the company’s ECLIPSE™ CLIMAPLUS™ and ASTRO™ CLIMAPLUS ceiling panels, both of which are treated with the proprietary AEGIS Microbe Shield™. For further information about USG’s environmental practices and products, write USG Corporation, P.O. Box 806278, Chicago, IL 60680-4124, call USG ’s Customer Service Department at 800-USG-4YOU or visit the company’s Web site at www.usg.com.