The General Services Administration (GSA) announced a $2 billion investment for projects across the country will prioritize the purchase of cleaner industrial materials.
Under the plan, more than 150 construction projects across the country will use cleaner construction materials, known as “low-embodied carbon” (LEC) materials. The program, through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, is expected to catalyze the market for American-made low carbon asphalt, concrete, glass and steel.
The GSA announced the financial commitment while spotlighting a project at the Frank Carlson Federal Building and Courthouse in Topeka, Kansas, where GSA is replacing windows and doors with blast resistant aluminum frames and insulated LEC glass that will reduce the building’s energy use. The federal building’s concrete pavement sidewalks and parking areas will also be upgraded with LEC concrete. The Topeka project will begin the design phase soon with construction starting in 2025.
Financial commitments for the LEC materials include:
The projects are designed to help the Biden Administration achieve its federal sustainability goals of achieving a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045 and net-zero emissions procurement by 2050.
According to the GSA press release, asphalt, concrete, glass and steel account for nearly half of all U.S. manufacturing greenhouse gas emissions and represent 98 percent of the construction materials purchased and funded by the government for infrastructure investments.
Dave Lubach is the executive editor for the facility market.
