A Natural Choice

How Wood Contributes to Sustainability’s Triple Bottom Line (Part 3 of a 3-part series)

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Overview

Materials Matter (Part 1) Materials in Action (Part 2)

A Natural Choice (Part 3)

Copyright Materials

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© 2013, reThink Wood, www.rethinkwood.com

Describe accepted definitions of sustainability.

Discuss ways in which wood contributes to sustainable design.

Explain the trends behind the increased use of wood as an environmentally sound building material.

Evaluate the impact of building rating systems and codes on environmentally sound design.

Learning Objectives

Table of Contents

Section 1

True Sustainability

Section 2

Wood and the Environment

Section 3

Wood and Social Goals

Section 4

Wood and Economic Considerations

Section 5

Codes & Green Rating Systems

TRUE SUSTAINABILITYSECTION 1

Sustainable Development

“Development that meetsthe needs of the present without compromising the ability of future

generations to meet their own needs.”

-- Brundtland Commission, 1987

United Nations

Sustainable Building

Up 50% from 2008-2010, from $42 billion to $71 billion

Accounted for 25% of new construction in 2010

Estimated to reach $135 billion by 2015

Blackfeet Community CollegeMontana

Architect: Gordon WhirryLEED Platinum

Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving GrowthMcGraw-Hill Construction

Photo courtesy of Gordon Whirry

Elements of Sustainable Design

Sitting and structural design

Energy efficiency Materials efficiency Indoor air quality Operations and

maintenance Waste reduction

David & Lucile Packard FoundationCaliforniaArchitect: EHDDLEED Gold and Net Zero Energy

Photo: Jeremy Bitterman, courtesy EHDD

WOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENTSECTION 2

Wood and the Environment

University of Washington West Campus Student Housing – Phase 1WashingtonArchitect: Mahlum

Photo: naturallywood.com; Photo: Benjamin Benschneider

Life Cycle Assessment

Allows comparison of alternate building designs based on their estimated environmental impacts

Promotes informed decision-making

LCA Studies

Wood is better for the environment in terms of air pollution, embodied energy, greenhouse gases and water pollution.

Source: Data compiled by the Canadian Wood

Council using the ATHENA EcoCalculator

with a data set for Toronto, Canada

Comparing Wall Assemblies

Source: CORRIM

Minneapolis House Wood Frame Steel Frame DifferenceSteel vs.

Wood(% change)

Embodied energy (GJ) 250 296 46 18%

Global warming potential (CO2 kg) 13,009 17,262 4,253 33%

Air emission index (index scale) 3,820 4.222 402 11%

Water emission index (index scale) 3 29 26 867%

Solid waste (total kg) 3,496 3,181 -315 -9%

Atlanta House Wood Frame Steel Frame DifferenceSteel vs.

Wood(% change)

Embodied energy (GJ) 168 231 63 38%

Global warming potential (CO2 kg) 8,345 14,982 6,637 80%

Air emission index (index scale) 2,313 3,372 1,060 46%

Water emission index (index scale) 2 2 0 0%

Solid waste (total kg) 2,325 6,152 3,827 164%

The U.S. Forest Service is now: Preferentially selecting

wood in new building construction

Actively looking for ways to demonstrate innovative uses of wood using green building rating systems

Herrington Recovery CenterWisconsinArchitect: TWP Architecture LEED Gold

ShapingGovernment Policy

Photo: Curtis Waltz

Sustainable Forestry Carbon Cycle

Making Informed Material Choices

Replacing steel floor joists with engineered wood joists reduces the carbon footprint of the joists by nearly 10 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of wood used

Photo: APA

Calculated using the WoodWorks Carbon Calculator, available at woodworks.org

Avalon Anaheim StadiumCaliforniaArchitect: Withee Malcolm Architects

Calculating Carbon Benefits

Photo: © Arden Photography

North American Forests

50 years of forest growth that exceeds harvest

More certified forests than anywhere else in the world

As of August 2013Sources: www.pefc.org, www.fscus.org, www.fsccanada.org, www.fsc.org, www.certificationcanada.org, www.mtc.com.my

Sustainable Forest Certification

Verifies that a forest meets the requirements of the certification standard

Two international umbrella organizations – FSC and PEFC

More than 50 certification standards worldwide

What happens to a material at the end of its useful service life?

End of Life Issues

Photos: Dreamstime stock photos

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

Photo: naturallywood.com

Once considered waste, sawdust from lumber manufacturing is now used to make composite products or as a renewable energy source.

Increasingly, wood from buildings is being

reclaimed and reused.

Design for Deconstruction

Photos: Dreamstime stock photos

WOOD AND SOCIAL GOALSSECTION 3

Carby Chapel CenterTexasArchitect: Roesler Associates, Inc./Architects

Michael Ortega Architectural Photography

Wood and Social Goals

Michael Smith Laboratory, University of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaArchitect: IBI Group/Henriquez Partners Architects

Photo: naturallywood.com

Study: Wood and Health

Study: Wood and Health

Herrington Recovery CenterWisconsinArchitect: TWP Architecture

Photo: Curtis Waltz

Wood in Schools

Rosa Parks Elementary SchoolWashington

Architect: Mahlum Architects

Photo: Benjamin Benschneider

WOOD AND ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONSSECTION 4

Wood Costs Less

Photo: APA

Lower material costs Faster construction Reduced foundation Availability of skilled tradespeople

Photo: VanDorpe Chou Associates

El Dorado High SchoolArkansasArchitect: CADM Architecture

High School Saved $2.7 Million

Photos: W.I. Bell (under construction); Dennis Ivy

U.S. – 900,000American Wood Council

Canada – 600,000Forest Products Association of Canada

Worldwide – 1.6 billionWorld Bank

Photos: naturallywood.com

Direct and Indirect Jobs

CODES AND GREEN RATING SYSTEMSSECTION 5

Codes and Green Rating Systems

California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) First U.S. code to incorporate life cycle

assessment ASHRAE 189.1

Sets minimum green building requirements

First code-intended standard for high-performance buildings in the U.S.

International Green Construction Code Released in 2012, being adopted on a

voluntary basis

Recognizing Wood’s Value

Carbon benefits of El Dorado High SchoolEstimated using the Carbon Calculator, available at

woodworks.org

Grows naturally, renewable

Low embodied energy Less air/water pollution Light carbon footprint Adaptable / reusable /

recyclable

LEED Green Globes Built Green NAHB Model Green

Home Building Guidelines

Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the EnvironmentCaliforniaArchitect: Safdie Rabines ArchitectsLEED Silver

Photo: Anne Garrison

Green Rating Systemsin North America

Green Rating Systemsin North America

Living Building Challenge

SB Tool

Bullitt CenterWashington

Architect: The Miller Hull PartnershipLiving Building Challenge 2.0

Photo: John Stamets

International Green Rating Systems

Lancaster Institute of Contemporary ArtsUnited KingdomArchitect: Sheppard RobsonBREEAM Outstanding

Photo: Sheppard Robson

Rating Systems and Wood

Wood’s most significant ecological benefits—that

it is the only carbon-neutral construction material

and that it can significantly reduce a building’s

life cycle impacts—are largely unrecognized by

the most commonly used rating systems.

-- Light House Sustainable Building Centre

““

Passive House Standard

Austria HouseBritish ColumbiaArchitect: Treberspurg & Partner Architekten

Photo: Ira Nicolai

Focuses solely on reducing energy consumption

Photo: naturallywood.com

An Inherently Green Building Material

For more information on building with wood, visit rethinkwood.com

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