GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS: HOW WOOD FIT FOR ARCHITECT

Presentation location and presenter info

Learning Outcomes

The environmental benefits of wood. How the use of wood fits within current

definitions of green building. Principles, strategies and procedures to

optimize rating system score using wood. What to ask suppliers. Best practices for articulating the

environmental performance of buildings.

Agenda Module 1: Introduction to rating systems and how wood fits Module 2: Design Best Practices

Passive Design & Framing Techniques Durability

Module 3: Materials Credits Certified Wood Locally Produced Materials Recycled Materials Salvaged Materials Construction Waste Management

Module 4: Indoor Environmental Quality Indoor air quality (IAQ) Acoustics

Module 5: Life Cycle Analysis Module 6: What’s Next? EIS and EPD

Additional educational references!

MODULE 1:OVERVIEW OF WOOD’S RELATIONSHIP TO RATING SYSTEMS

What we are starting with: there are some rating systems which make it more difficult to succeed if wood is used

Environmental Impacts of Building Materials

1/4 of all the world's wood harvest 40% of global consumption of raw

materials 20-30% of North American landfill

is taken up by construction and demolition debris

20% world’s energy consumed by building construction (including manufacturing of building products)

World building materials market accounts for more than 3bn tons of materials per year

+50% of the world’s annual concrete production is poured in China

Wood is a renewable building material

Climate Change Impacts: Construction v Operation

To date, most of the focus in green building (and rating systems) has been on improving operational efficiency.

Most building material choices and budgets ignore the true impacts of material manufacture and disposal.

Is this true? (UK advertisement)

Wood is a Carbon Neutral Building Material

No more carbon is emitted in the production and whole life cycle of a wood product than is absorbed from the atmosphere when the tree is growing.

Sustainable forestry practices are assumed.

Of Particular Interest:

To what extent can the use of wood make a building “green” (as defined by rating systems)?

To what extent do rating systems capture the environmental benefits of wood (carbon footprint, LCA, local economies)?

Is using wood an advantage or disadvantage in terms of the number of points/ credits that could be earned compared to other competing products?

11 Rating Systems Surveyed (18 applications)

BREEAM Offices Multi-family residential Eco-homes

Built Green Canada Low-rise Multi-family residential

Built Green Colorado Multi-family residential

Built Green Washington Low-rise Multi-family residential

CASBEE (for Homes) Green Globes Green Star LEED

LEED NC (Canada) LEED NC (US) LEED CI (Canada) LEED for Homes (Canada)

Living Building Challenge NAHB Model Green Home

Buildings Guidelines SB Tool

Fraction of World’s Rating Systems (a moving target, 60 at last count)

Where Does Wood Fit?

Certified wood: different forest certification schemes accepted by the various rating systems.

Recycled/reused/salvaged materials: recycled content in wood products and reused or salvaged wood and wood products.

Local sourcing of materials: local manufacturing and harvesting.

Building techniques and skills: specific building techniques that can leverage wood to gain green building points/credits.

Waste minimization: points/credits are given for diverting a certain amount of waste or minimizing wasted woodcuts.

Indoor air quality: no added urea-formaldehyde in wood products and low-VOC finishes.

Life cycle impacts: embodied energy and lifecycle carbon.

% Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products

Rating systems for commercial buildings

LEED CI BREEAM Green Globes

LEED NC (CA)

LEED NC (US)

SB Tool0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

Built Green Canada

BREEAM Built Green Washington

Green Star0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

% Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products

Rating systems for multi-family residential buildings

Built

Green

Can

ada

Built

Green

Col

orad

o

Built

Green

Was

hing

ton

NAHB

LEED

for H

omes

BREEAM

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

% Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products Rating systems for single-

family residential buildings

Recognition of Life Cycle Benefits of Wood

11

1

3

12

Gives points for LCA assessment, but does not specify methodol-ogy: Green Globes

Offers points for LCA methods that examine embodied energy, life-cycle GHGs, and lifecy-cle costs: SB Tool

Uses rules of thumb that depend on the major building elements that are related to lifecycle CO2: CASBEE

Calculations from the UK Green Guide: BREEAM Of-fices, MF, Eco-home

Not addressed

Not Addressed1. Built Green Canada2. Built Green Canada MF3. Built Green (WA)4. Built Green (WA) MF5. Built Green Colorado6. Green Star 7. LEED NC Canada 8. LEED NC US 9. LEED CI 10.LEED for Homes 11.Living Building Challenge 12.NAHB Model Guidelines

Testing the Impact of Wood Intensity on Rating System Success

2 identical hypothetical projects: 1 (high intensity) – wherever possible wood is specified 2 (low intensity)– wherever possible competing (non-wood)

products are used. For consistency, all other credits are assumed to be

successfully accomplished (not possible in reality). No account was made for degree of difficulty or cost. Some systems could not be compared due to:

integrated nature of the rating system (e.g CASBEE) the structure and scope of the materials credits (e.g. Green

Star, Living Building Challenge).

LEED for Homes

Built Green Colorado

Built Green Washington

Built Green Washington Multi-family

Green Globes

Built Green Canada Multi-family

BREEAM Multi-residential

Built Green Canada

NAHB Model Guidelines

BREEAM Offices

BREEAM Eco-homes

LEED NC US

LEED NC Canada

LEED CI

-2.0% -1.0% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0%

Impact

Impact of High Intensity Wood Choices on Rating System Success

Commercial MF residential SF residential

Is Wood Treated Fairly (in general terms)?

Points lost Points gained

Indoor environmental quality

Points often awarded when natural or low-VOC carpet is installed.

Some systems give points if zero carpet is installed.

No systems reward the installation of wood floors specifically.

Competing product given advantage –

Points frequently given for flyash in concrete and calculated such that a lot of concrete required to gain the points.

Some points given for non-wood products such as above-grade ICFs, RC steel studs.

Building technique & skills

Some SF Homes rating systems give points for advanced framing and/or optimal engineering.

Product certification

No “chain of custody” standard is referenced for steel or concrete.

Rating Systems Currently do not Recognize the Environmental

Benefits of WoodGAPS Carbon footprint impacts

ignored: ISO 14,040 provides a recognized LCA methodology: none of the systems reference it.

Acoustics: only addressed by Green Globes. Sound abatement strategies use wood panel and fibre products.

Thermal mass and passive design: wood’s contribution not recognized.

Material efficiency and de-materialization: wood offers combined benefits of insulative value, light weight, structural integrity and weather resistance.

Concert Hall, Caracas, Venezuela

About the Study“Green Building Rating Systems,

How Does Wood Fit?” Study completed in 2009 by Light House Sustainable Building

Centre, Vancouver, Canada For Forestry Innovation Investment of British Columbia,

Canada - www.bcfii.ca.

Summary available at www.naturallywood.com/resources Full report available from info@naturallywood.com

MODULE 2:DESIGN BEST PRACTICES: PASSIVE DESIGN AND DURABILITY

"We are now entering an age of consequences." Sir Winston Churchill

Passive Design

Building design that uses the building architecture to leverage natural energy sources, minimize energy consumption and improve thermal comfort.

Passive design buildings rely heavily on high-performing building envelope assemblies and passive solar power.

Knowing how products interact as assemblies is critical to success.

Passive Design and Rating Systems

No explicit requirement or metric. Passive design informs overall building

performance.

Efficient Equipment

Generate

Passive Design, Nat. Vent, Heat Recovery lose less energy

use less energy

make more energy

Passive Design = Free Energy

4 Steps to Passive Design

A high level of insulation, with minimal thermal bridges.

A high level of utilization of solar and internal gain.

An excellent level of air tightness.

Good indoor air quality.

Passive Design Toolkit Vancouver: www.vancouver.ca/greenestcity/new.htm

Passive House Institute: www.passiv.de

Wood’s Role in Passive Design

Unique combination of properties: Thermal

resistance Natural finish Structural

integrity Light weight Weatherproof

Laminated timber panel provides thermal mass

Triple glazed wood window with metal

flashings

Water resistant hardboard air barrier

Rainscreen with cedar siding

Wood fibre insulation

Optimum value engineering (OVE) uses

advanced principles to optimize the use of

wood for framing by: Expanding the spacing between exterior and

interior wall stud to as much as 24” on-center. Eliminating headers at non-bearing interior and

exterior walls. Using header hangers instead of jack studs. Eliminating cripples on hung windows. Eliminating double plates, using single plates

with connectors by lining up roof framing with wall & floor framing.

Using two-stud corner framing with drywall clips or scrap lumber for drywall backing instead of studs.

Standard details for advanced wood framing available from CMHC: http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/bude/himu/codemo/ codemo_001.cfm#CP_JUMP_62280

How to Include Wood in Passive Design

What to Ask Suppliers Ask if key wood product

suppliers are able to participate in the integrated design process to discuss innovative methods of employing wood in the project.

Request information about framing techniques and assemblies available for your proposed project.

?

Procedure

Case Study: Whistler Passive House

Architect: Treberspurg & Partner Architekten

Case Study: Whistler Passive House

(interior during construction)

Durability

Durability is the ability of a building or any of its components to perform the required functions in a service environment over a period of time without unforeseen cost for maintenance or repair.

When designing with wood, durability considerations are particularly relevant to the building envelope.

Steel column base by Structurecraft provides durable solution for wood structure.

www.structurecraft.com

Definitions and Criteria

1. Design Service Life 2. Category Failure3. Predicted Service Life4. Maintenance Frequency5. Maintenance Access

Cost6. Building Envelope

Systems

Category DSL for Building Examples

Temporary Up to 10 years *Non-permanent construction buildings (sales offices, bunkhouses)

*Temporary exhibition buildings

Medium Life 25 to 49 years * Most industrial buildings

* Most parking structures

Long Life 50 to 99 years * Most residential, commercial and office buildings

* Health and education buildings

* Parking structures below buildings designed for long life category

Permanent 100 Years minimum * Monumental buildings

* Heritage buildings

Design Service Life

Failure Category

Category Effects of Failure Example

1 No exceptional problems Replacement of light fittings

2 Security compromised Broken Door Latch

3 Interruption of building useRepair Requires Discontinuation of Services or Dislocation of Occupants

4 Costly because repeated Window Hardware Replacement

5 Costly repair

Requires Extensive Materials or Component (Direct and Indirect) Replacement

6Danger to health or eco-system

Excessive dampness, mold, soil gases, asbestos, PCB's

7 Risk of injury Loose handrail

8 Danger to life Sudden collapse of structure

Failure Category + Design Service Life

For components or assemblies in Categories 6, 7, and 8 use design service life = design service life of the building.

For components or assemblies in Categories 4 or 5 use a design life equal to at least half of the design life of the building.

For example: windows would be category 4 therefore if the building service life is 60 years, the component service life needs to be 30 years.

Predicted Service Life (PSL) The service life of a component forecast from recorded

performance, previous experience, tests, or modeling (variety of options in drop down menu).

Maintenance Access Cost None Minimal Moderate Expensive

“High” Maintenance Frequency +

“Expensive” Maintenance Access Cost=

Maintenance Problem

Maintenance Assessment

Maintenance Frequency None Low Medium High

Building Assembly Materials Design Service Life, Yrs

Predicted Service Life,

YrsFailure

CategoryMaintenance

NotesMaintenance

FrequencyMaintenance

Access

1.0 Walls Below Grade (including Structural)

1.1 Exterior

1.1.1Foundation Footings Cast-in-place concrete

(CIP) (incl. Rebar) 100 100 5,7,8 none expensive

1.1.2

Foundation Walls (FW1)

Clear silane siloxane sealer

10 10 1reapply by spray every 10 years

medium minimum

  Architectural CIP

Concrete 100 100 5,7,8 none expensive

  Drainage Mat 60 60 4 none expensive

 

38 + 50mm Extruded Polystyrene Rigid Insulation 60 60 4 none expensive

  Waterproof membrane 60 60 4 none expensive

  CIP Concrete

(incl. Rebar) 100 100 5,7,8 none expensive

Building Assembly

Durability Plan Procedure

BRE Net Zero House, UK

Envelope Commissioning (part of whole building commissioning)

No explicit credit but important for wood frame construction.

Building envelope commissioning can identify areas of concern related to air infiltration and leakage, moisture diffusion, surface condensation, and rain water entry.

Analyze Envelope Performance with Energy Simulation—use energy simulation and life cycle analysis tools to optimize the performance of all components of the envelope. Air Leakage through a

Building Enclosure

What to Ask Suppliers Get information about

expected service life of building envelope products in assembled condition.

Ensure that scope and limitations of product warranties are fully understood.

Enquire about care and maintenance solutions for proposed materials and convey this information to the building operator.

?

Case Study: Murray Grove(weather protection + pre-fabrication = durability)

Waugh Thistleton Architects

Case Study: Murray Grove (XLT for thermal mass and durability)

MODULE 3:OPTIMIZING WOOD USE FOR MATERIALS CREDITS

Wood products are applicable to the majority of materials credits

Certified Wood Forest certification verifies

the sustainability of forest management.

Chain of custody certification tracks wood material from point of harvest to its end use.

More than 50 certification standards worldwide.

Two international umbrella organizations: PEFC FSC

Environmental Management System Certification

ISO 14001

• International environmental management system (EMS) standard, applicable to any type of organization.

• Many British Columbia forest companies are certified for either their manufacturing facilities and/or their forest management practices.

Forest Management Certification

Sustainable Forestry Initiative•U.S. and Canada•Endorsed by PEFC•20.6 million ha certified in B.C. (YE-2010)

Forest Stewardship Council•B.C. regional standard endorsed by FSC International•2.7 million ha certified in B.C. (YE-2010)

Canadian Standards Association•National standard of Canada•Endorsed by PEFC•29.6 million ha certified in B.C. (YE-2010)

Chain of Custody

Tracking procedure for a product from the point of harvest or extraction to its end use, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution.

Rating Systems and Wood Certification

Environmental benefits of wood. Certification systems promote sustainable forestry

practices. Most green building rating systems recognize all forest

certification systems: CSA, FSC, SFI and PEFC. LEED recognizes only FSC

Certification costly for tropical hardwood providers – first step is to specify “legal” wood to develop markets and save forests.

Sustainability criteria and third-party certification lacking for other building materials.

Procedure

Percentage of Certified Wood = Certified wood material value ($)

Total new wood material value ($)

Only include materials permanently installed in the project.

Temporary construction applications such as bracing, concrete form work and pedestrian barriers are EXCLUDED.

x 100

?What to Ask Suppliers

Coordinate with vendors early to make sure supply of the “brand” of certified wood that is acceptable to the particular rating system is available.

Ask for copies of all relevant chain-of-custody (COC) certificates.

For non-wood products, ask those suppliers about the level of stewardship and standards that apply to these other materials.

Case Study: Percy Norman Aquatic Centre

Hughes Condon Marler: Architects

Locally Produced Materials Match a local design

aesthetic. Tend to be more durable

in the local climate. Supports local

economies. Reduces the

environmental impact of transportation (dependent on type/ volume/weight of material and mode of transportation).

Gulf Islands Operations CentreLEED Platinum

Larry McFarland Architects

Map For the purpose of

green building rating systems, local or regional materials are those that are extracted, harvested, and manufactured within 500 mi (800 km) of the project site, 1500 mi, (2,400 km) if shipped by rail or water.

Procedure

Percentage of Local Materials =

Value of Local/Regional Material ($) x 100

Value of Total Material ($)

?What to Ask Suppliers

Where were the materials used to make the product extracted, harvested, or processed?

Where were final product manufactured?

What is the distance from these locations to your project site?

How were the materials transported to the project site. (Were they delivered by rail, water or truck?)

Case Study: Vancouver Convention

Centre

Architects: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership Architects Designers Planners; Downs/Archambault & Partners; LMN Architects

Recycled Materials “The proportion, by mass, of recycled material in a

product or packaging. Only pre-consumer and post-consumer material is considered as recycled content.” ISO 14021 Environmental Labels and Declarations – Self-

Declared Environmental Claims (Type II environmental labeling).

Using recycled materials reduces the need to landfill these materials.

Materials that would otherwise have been discarded either:

during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or

at the end of service life (post consumer).

Terminology Pre-consumer recycled material: diverted from the

waste stream during a manufacturing process. Materials generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process (such as rework, regrind or scrap) are excluded. Examples include: planer shavings, ply trim, sawdust,

etc Note that wood chips created from virgin wood does

not qualify as recycled content. Post-consumer recycled material: generated by end-

users of a product that can no longer be used for its intended purpose.

Assembly recycled content: the recycled proportion of a material calculated by dividing the weight of the recycled content by the overall weight of the assembly.

Environmental Information Sheet Should

accompany MSDS

Summary statement of environmental criteria

Procedure

Recycled Content Value ($) = (% post consumer RC ($) x materials cost) +

(% pre consumer RC ($) x materials cost)*

*some rating systems (e.g. LEED) apply a factor for pre-consumer recycled content

?What to Ask Suppliers

Material technical data must be acquired from suppliers clearly spelling out proportion of recycled content in total assembly based on weight.

Obtain contact information for the manufacturer.

14021 Environmental Labels and Declarations – Self-Declared Environmental Claims (Type II Environmental Labelling) is the international standard used to verify recycled content.

Case Study: Wood Anchor

www.woodanchor.com

Salvaged Material

Includes materials retrieved from an existing building.

Clean wood can be easily salvaged and reused.

Salvaged materials strategy to be coordinated with building re-use and construction waste management.

Terminology

Refurbished materials includes renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.

Remanufactured materials are items that are made into other products.

Salvaged materials are recovered from existing buildings or job sites and reused such as structural beams and posts, flooring, doors ,cabinetry, etc.

Landscape mulch from wood waste chipped on site by Vancouver-based

Klondike Contracting

Working with Architectural Salvage

Engineering profession becoming adept at working with salvaged wood structural material.

Extremely popular as adding “character” to a building.

Specialized knowledge necessary akin to the antiques trade.

Salvaged MaterialsSalvaged heavy timbers form

structure in LEED VanCity branch in North Vancouver

A Little Piece of an Old House Lives On

The wood ceiling is saved and sold…

… to the Stanley Park concession stand!

Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB)

Roughly half of B.C.’s pine trees affected.

Most extensive damage occurring in central Canadian Rockies, where two-thirds of the lodgepole pine forests have been infested.

MPB is not yet explicitly recognized by green building rating systems.

Growing awareness of the value of pine beetle wood in addressing “regional priority” credits.

Infested pine tree

Procedure

Percentage of Salvaged Material =

Value of Salvaged Material ($)

x 100

Value of Total Material ($)

Furniture may be included

?What to Ask Suppliers

Ensure that all costs are declared at the outset.

Clarify the presence (if any) of any toxic substances and ensure all costs and responsibilities for decontamination are taken into account.

Confirm documentation is available for the product’s provenance and history.

Case Study: Richmond Oval

Richmond Oval’s 2 hectare roof built out of lumber from salvaged wood from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation.

Architect: Cannon Design

Case Study: Wood Salvaged from Flooded Lands

Triton Wood used in Mountain Equipment Co-op store

Construction Waste Management Over 1 million tonnes

of demolition, land clearing and construction (DLC) waste was generated in 2002.

Represents 1/3 of waste stream in Metro Vancouver.

Wood waste makes up 15% (about 240,000 tonnes) of Metro Vancouver’s waste.

Diversion rates +95% in Vancouver achieved.

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Recover

Residuals

Construction Waste Management (key elements)

Develop a construction waste management (CWM) plan early.

The diversion rate from project must be distinct from the overall diversion rate at recycling facility.

Receiving facility/recycling depot information must be provided for each material load.

Education of trades key to success.

Ongoing program coordination critic.

Recycling Wood Materials Treated wood waste is not

recyclable. Demolished wood is often not

reuable or recyclable unless it is taken apart.

Check if the local recycling centres can handle nail removal.

Wood waste as an alternate daily cover for landfills is not acceptable

Burning clean wood waste to generate industrial process heat and/or electricity is acceptable, incineration is not.

Procedure

Percentage of ConstructionWaste Diverted

=Amount diverted through

Recycling and Salvage

Total Waste Generated

CWM calculations can be done by weight or volume, but must be

consistent throughout

?What to Ask Suppliers

Develop an understanding of manufacturing processes, how materials are delivered and the waste they generate during installation prior to finalizing specification documents.

Work with manufacturers to minimize unnecessary packaging - make arrangements for pallet pick up.

Ask for information about a product’s recyclability and end-of life impacts.

Ask suppliers if they provide a take-back program to minimize the generation of waste in the future.

Responsibility of TradesConstant vigilance needed!

What you need to know:

1. BEFORE installing materials: Submit material information sheets. Check if your materials are approved. ALL alternates must be approved.

2. On-site WASTE: Reduce, reuse, recycle. Separate in areas provided. Submit waybills for all waste taken off-site.

3. Remove all moisture damaged materials from site.

4. Making dust? isolate area, protect air ducts.

5. Limit use of volatile liquids (solvents, fuels). Store in closed containers.

If in doubt ask…

Keep this a healthy building site.

Help at Hand for Installers and Trades:

(Resources & Training)

Light House

Don’t Waste Wood

BuildSmart

MODULE 4:OPTIMIZING WOOD USE FOR INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

“The problem is not with wood, the problem is with everything we put on it.”Anon

Health Impact of BuildingsSource: Metro Vancouver BuildSmart

On average, North Americans spend 90% of their time indoors.

30% of Canadian households have humidity problems and potential mould problems.

One in five Canadians suffer from lung disease.

US National Academy of Sciences estimates that 15% of the population has some form of environmental sensitivity.

IAQ directly linked to occupant productivity, recovery rates in hospitals, etc.

Causes of Sick Building Syndrome

Inadequate ventilation. Chemical contaminants from indoor and

outdoor sources (VOCs, pollution, etc). Biological contaminants (mold, etc).

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) IAQ is acceptable when there are no known

contaminants at harmful concentrations as determined by cognizant authorities and with which a substantial majority (80% or more) of the people exposed do not express dissatisfaction (ASHRAE 62.1-2007).

All rating systems recognize the importance of IAQ – many function on a “pass or fail” basis.

Bare wood is considered hypo-allergenic. Wood products impact IAQ via the treatments and

coatings applied to them

IAQ: What to Look For Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): carbon

compounds that participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions. The compounds vaporize at normal room temperatures frequently causing health impacts.

Urea formaldehyde (UF): a component of glues and adhesives, and a preservative in some paints and coating products. Commonly found in pressed wood products (hardwood plywood wall paneling, particleboard, fiberboard) and furniture made with these pressed wood products.

VOC Limits Only applies to interior

products and site-applied coatings.

Propose a no-carpet policy - hardwood floors are easier to clean and thus minimize contamination.

VOC-free panel products, cabinetry and shelving are available.

Source: South Coast Air Quality Management District

Alternatives to UF UF found in resins and glues. Plywood and OSB

panel products use red/black-colored phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin in which emissions are lower than those containingUF.

Formaldehyde-free alternative resins are MDI (methylene diphenyl isocyanate) and PVA (polyvinyl acetate).

Hanvey residence kitchen cabinets comprise FSC certified maple veneers (from Quebec) applied using PVA glue

to strawboard cores.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Required for HAZMAT management purposes

Environmental Information Sheet

Should accompany MSDS.

Presents VOC and UF emissions.

Summary statement of environmental criteria.

Innovative Solutions: Wood Welding

“Mechanically-induced wood flow welding” Produces high-strength bonds in

seconds without the use of adhesive. Pieces of lumber are pressed

together (at 60 – 330 psi) and rubbed back and forth at high speed for a few (3-5) seconds.

After a few more seconds of clamp time, the bonding process is complete - much quicker than gluing.

The equipment required is already available: used to weld thermoplastic joints (eg. automobile industry).

Bonds are not water-tight, so most applicable to interior joinery, furniture.

Procedure

IAQ performance is based on “Pass or Fail”

of VOC limits

Analysis best accomplished using proprietary

spreadsheets

Procedure shows VOC calculation methodology

(example for paint) – MSDS provide relevant information

?What to Ask Suppliers

Ask early on about the production of materials and obtain the relevant Material Safety Date Sheet (MSDS) describing the VOC and UF emissions of the product (if any).

Make sure that the supplier provides contact information for the manufacturer so you can contact them for any additional information required.

If in doubt, request independently audited data from a reputable third party agency such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District (www.aqmd.gov).

Case Study: Softwood Plywood Phenol Formaldehyde Glue

Acoustics

Wood is the material of choice for quality of acoustical performance.

Some green buildings have been shown to under-perform acoustically due to: Hard surfaces for radiant heat distribution Minimization of soft surfaces that can

attract contaminants. ANSI S12.60-2002, Acoustical

Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools resulted.

Wood’s Acoustical Features Rarely Optimized

Cave Restaurant, Sydney, Australia (Takada Architects)

Acoustical design requires professional expertise

Get help from a member of the Acoustical Society of America http://asa.aip.org

Procedure No standard procedure

for rating systems. Provide noise

attenuation of the structural systems and implement measures to insulate primary spaces from impact noise.

Specify acoustic controls (various wood products available) to meet the acoustic privacy requirements.

Specify measures to meet speech intelligibility requirements for spaces and activities.

Wood acoustical paneling provides professional quality acoustical performance, durable finish

and naturally warm appearance in concert halls around the world.

?What to Ask Suppliers

Acquire acoustical performance data (such as STC and IIC ratings) for key components and assemblies.

Ask about any synergistic environmental benefits such as IAQ performance and whether the product has been certified by a third party forestry certification system.

Case Study: Corelam soundframe™

MODULE 5:LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS“As I hurtled through space towards re-entry at twice the speed of sound the only thought in my mind was that this craft was entirely built by the lowest bidder.”

John Glenn, Astronaut

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Analyzes total environmental impact of all materials and energy flows, either as input or output, over the life of a product from raw material to end-of-life disposal or rebirth as a new product.

Defined by ISO 14040/14044: internationally-recognized standards.

The ONLY way to truly understand the environmental benefits of using wood.

LCA: What’s Included

Material usage Embodied energy CO2 emissions

and global warming potential Air pollution Solid waste generation Water pollution Environmental costs

Source: www.naturallywood.com

How Wood Compares

Source: compiled using the Athena EcoCalculator, version 2.2, with a dataset appropriate for Vancouver, Canada. (www.naturallywood.com).

Rating Systems: Barely Recognizing the Life-cycle Benefits of Wood

11

1

3

12

Gives points for LCA assessment, but does not specify methodol-ogy: Green Globes

Offers points for LCA methods that examine embodied energy, lifecycle GHGs, and lifecycle costs: SB ToolUses rules of thumb that depend on the major build-ing elements that are re-lated to lifecycle CO2: CASBEE

Calculations from the UK Green Guide: BREEAM Of-fices, MF, Eco-home

Not addressed

Not Addressed1. Built Green Canada2. Built Green Canada MF3. Built Green (WA)4. Built Green (WA) MF5. Built Green Colorado6. Green Star 7. LEED NC Canada 8. LEED NC US 9. LEED CI 10.LEED for Homes 11.Living Building Challenge 12.NAHB Model Guidelines

Embodied Energy: Manufacture of Building Materials is Energy Intensive

For example: Glass – melt

sand and silica at 2,300oC

Cement – burn lime at 3,500oC

Steel blast furnaces like this one get up to around 2,000oC

Embodied Energy NotIncluded in Design Decisions

“The quantity of energy required by all of the activities associated with a production process including the acquisition of primary material, transportation, manufacturing and handling”.

Wood is not an energy-neutral material.

However, the carbon-neutral question is more interesting.

Is Wood a Carbon-Neutral Material?(Thank you Prof. Richard Murphy,

Imperial College, London for the maths)

The capacity of wood to absorb and store carbon can be factored against the carbon emissions incurred during drying, processing and transportation to site.

Wood (oven dry) is 50% carbon by mass The molecular weight of CO2 is 44; C is 12

So: 1000 kg of oven dry wood = 500 kg C 500 kg C x 44/12 = 1833 kg in CO2 ‘equivalents’ that can be factored against the carbon impacts of manufacture, transportation and installation.

LCA – Taking the Long View

Initial Embodied Energy vs. Recurring Embodied Energy of a Typical Canadian Office Building Constructed from Wood over a 100-Year Lifespan (Cole & Kernan, 1996).

LCA Tools

Enable consultants to easily amalgamate product information.

Work with regulators to create demand for LCA.

Evaluate LCA calculators (for scope, relevance, efficacy, ease-of-use, rigour, etc.

Athena Eco Calculator – how can this be useful in decision-making?

Athena EcoCalculator

Excel based Based on Assemblies Region and Building Type can be specified 5 impact measures calculated

Global Warming Potential Primary Energy Weighted Resource Use Air Pollution Index Water Pollution Index

Freewww.athenasmi.ca

Athena EcoCalculator

Impacts are immediately updated with each entry.

Five impacts are measured.

Calibrated for various citiesand for either ‘High-Rise” or “Low-Rise” construction.

Select building elements from tabs.

Assemblies grouped by structural component.

Athena Impact Estimator

Proprietary software – Quantity Survey type

Comprehensive Precise

software: $600report CD: $500(includes 1 yr support)

additional copies:software: $450report CD $300

Five Impact measures calculated:Global Warming PotentialPrimary EnergyWeighted Resource UseAir Pollution IndexWater Pollution Index

Athena Impact Estimator

Items and assemblies are grouped on this Explorer-type tree. Details are entered on dialogue boxes for the various assemblies.

Athena Impact Estimator

Charts and graphs can be produced for the five impact measures by:• life cycle stages• assembly groupings• operating vs. embodied

MODULE 6:WHAT’S NEXT? ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SHEETS & ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

An EPD is a standardized (ISO 14025/TR) and LCA based tool to communicate the environmental performance of a product or system.

The information required for input into LCA calculations.

Getting the Data: Environmental Product Declarations

(EPDs) are Completed by Manufacturer

Courtesy Dr Sebastian Reuter, VTI, Germany www.vti-bund.de

EPDs in Europe Based on data provided by the producer. “Living documents” –additional aspects are

integrated continuously. Undergo an independent external review

which additionally ensures high quality and acceptance.

Updated every 3 years to reflect state of current technology.

De facto database for building certification. Provide information regarding production of

the product, the stored amount of CO2 of a wooden product during use phase, and End of Life including substitution for Energy production.

Provide data of all other materials –basis for calculation of substitution effects regarding CO2 emissions.

?What to Ask Suppliers

What are the sources of the product’s data?

How much is based on primary information directly from operations, as opposed to databases of industry-average data?

What assumptions are included about the functional unit and service life of the product?

What materials have been excluded (if any) from the LCA calculation?

What are the uncertainty factors in the information?

What is assumed about the products’ maintenance requirements and/or impact on building operations?

Do the impact categories included in the results capture the important information, or might the results by skewed by leaving out key categories?

Summary and Next Steps

Wood from replenished sources supports “Low carbon” building but rating systems need to catch up.

LCA and Passive Design not adequately or consistently recognized – but principles can be applied right away.

Training and resources for architects and manufacturers underway.

?Thank You!

Questions? More information

available at www.naturallywood.com

Don’t forget to complete course evaluation forms.