ConXtechs Structural Steel Systems achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver

HAYWARD, Calif. – ConXtech, a sustainable structural steel building technology manufacturer, announced that its ConXR and ConXL Chassis Based Modular structural steel building systems have been Cradle to Cradle Certified at the Silver level.

Cradle to Cradle Certified is a multi-attribute program that assesses products for safety to human and environmental health, design for future use cycles, and sustainable manufacturing processes. Unlike single-attribute eco-labels, this certification program takes a comprehensive approach to evaluating the design of a product and the practices employed in manufacturing the product. Each product is evaluated in five categories: Material Health, Material Reutilization, Renewable Energy Use, Water Stewardship, and Social Responsibility.

The certification program is recognized by environmental experts worldwide for its innovation in sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes Cradle to Cradle Certified products in its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), which is a database created to facilitate the purchase of products and services with reduced environmental impacts. In addition, Cradle to Cradle Certified products are recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program and are eligible to contribute to a variety of LEED credits.

From product conception in 2000, ConXtech has worked to optimize the use of resources including time, energy, materials, as well as human and financial capital in order to sustainably offer a premium performance structural system without an associated cost premium. Every element of the ConX System has been designed to enhance safety, eliminate waste and maximize value. The system offers architects and engineers the unprecedented opportunity to design robust, multi-story structures for future disassembly and re-use without compromising structural integrity. “This product represents innovative systems thinking and provides not only a fantastic assembly system but also a brilliant way to eventually disassemble a building to recover materials that are precious for our future” states Bridgett Luther, president, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

In 2010, ConXtech was one of number of companies invited to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s launch of the Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII), held at Google’s Mountain View headquarters. “That event was inspiring” says Kelly Luttrell, ConXtech’s Co-Founder and VP Business Development. “In 2010, the construction industry was in the midst of a depression, but we heard from owners, our government and other stakeholders about what they wanted in the future. It confirmed that we were on the right path, offering premium products while keeping costs down through efficiency at every stage of design, manufacture and delivery. The Cradle to Cradle Certification is the ultimate level of recognition for any sustainable product and we are grateful to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute for their comprehensive approach and in-depth assessment of the entire lifecycle of ConX structures.”

Both ConXR and ConXL can be designed as Special Moment Frame Connections (SMF) or Ordinary Moment Frame (OMF) structures. ConX connections are inherently bi-axial, capable of handling the most challenging seismic loading.

ConX structures are manufactured in a highly automated factory environment which utilizes Building Information Modeling (BIM), CAD/CAM, robotics, CNC machining and specialized fixtures and jigs to increase productivity, precision and eliminate waste and re-work.

ConXtech’s innovative, standardized steel connections simply “lower and lock™” together and are bolted rather than welded in the field. ConX structures are typically lighter and assembled 2X to 4X faster in the field vs. conventional steel or concrete structures. Use of the ConX System typically results in cutting total tonnage, eliminating waste in the factory and field, and reducing risk with a stronger, safer structural system. To-date, ConXtech and its growing network of certified fabricators, have delivered nearly 6M sq ft of ConX structure into a variety of markets including: high-density residential, healthcare, energy and natural resources, data center, military, commercial and institutional applications.