1. Green Building Rating Systems: how wood fit for architect
Presentation location and presenter info

2. 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.

3. Additional educational references!
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!

4. Module 1: Overview of wood’s relationship to rating systems
Source for Module 1: “Green Building Rating Systems, How Does Wood Fit?” - Study completed by Light House Sustainable Building Centre for Forestry Innovation Investment.
What we are starting with: there are some rating systems which make it more difficult to succeed if wood is used

5. 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
The way we construct and use our buildings has a significant, negative impact on the environment
Atmospheric emissions from energy use can lead to acid rain, ground-level ozone, smog, and global climate change.
The world is covered by 75 per cent water, and yet only 1 per cent is safe for human consumption
Building use 1/6 of freshwater withdrawals!
Clearly need to re-evaluate construction practices of buildings and homes to work towards a sustainable future

6. 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.

7. Is this true? (UK advertisement)

8. 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.

9. 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?

10. 11 Rating Systems Surveyed (18 applications)
 BREEAM
Offices
Multi-family residential
Eco-homes
Built Green Canada
Low-rise
Built Green Colorado
Built Green Washington
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

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

12. 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.

13. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products Rating systems for commercial buildings

14. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products Rating systems for multi-family residential buildings

15. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood Products Rating systems for single-family residential buildings

16. Recognition of Life Cycle Benefits of Wood
Not Addressed
Built Green Canada
Built Green Canada MF
Built Green (WA)
Built Green (WA) MF
Built Green Colorado
Green Star
LEED NC Canada
LEED NC US
LEED CI
LEED for Homes
Living Building Challenge
NAHB Model Guidelines

17. 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).

18. Impact of High Intensity Wood Choices on Rating System Success
Commercial MF residential SF residential

19. 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.

20. Concert Hall, Caracas, Venezuela
Rating Systems Currently do not Recognize the Environmental Benefits of Wood
GAPS
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

21. 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 -
Summary available at
Full report available from

22. Module 2: Design Best Practices: Passive Design and Durability
"We are now entering an age of consequences."
Sir Winston Churchill

23. 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.

24. Passive Design and Rating Systems
No explicit requirement or metric.
Passive design informs overall building performance.
Passive Design, Nat. Vent, Heat Recovery
lose less energy
Efficient Equipment
use less energy
Generate
make more energy

25. Passive Design = Free Energy

26. 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:
Passive House Institute:

27. 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
“Passive design” is an approach to building design that uses the building architecture to minimize energy consumption and improve thermal comfort
The ultimate vision of passive design is to fully eliminate requirements
for active mechanical systems (and associated fossil fuel-based energy
consumption) and to maintain occupant comfort at all times.

28. How to Include Wood in Passive Design
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: codemo_001.cfm#CP_JUMP_62280

29. 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.

30. Procedure

31. Case Study: Whistler Passive House
Architect: Treberspurg & Partner Architekten

32. Case Study: Whistler Passive House (interior during construction)

33. 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.

34. Definitions and Criteria
Design Service Life
Category Failure
Predicted Service Life
Maintenance Frequency
Maintenance Access Cost
Building Envelope Systems
Steel column base by Structurecraft provides durable solution for wood structure.

35. Design Service Life 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

36. 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 use
Repair 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 6
Danger 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

37. 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).

38. Maintenance Assessment
Maintenance Access Cost
None
Minimal
Moderate
Expensive
Maintenance Frequency
None
Low
Medium
High
“High” Maintenance Frequency +
“Expensive” Maintenance Access Cost =
Maintenance Problem

39. Building Assembly Building Assembly Materials Design Service Life, Yrs
Predicted Service Life, Yrs
Failure Category
Maintenance Notes
Maintenance Frequency
Maintenance Access
1.0
Walls Below Grade (including Structural)
1.1
Exterior
1.1.1
Foundation Footings
Cast-in-place concrete (CIP) (incl. Rebar)
100
5,7,8
none
expensive
1.1.2
Foundation Walls (FW1)
Clear silane siloxane sealer 10 1
reapply by spray every 10 years
medium
minimum
Architectural CIP Concrete
Drainage Mat 60 4
mm Extruded Polystyrene Rigid Insulation
Waterproof membrane
CIP Concrete
(incl. Rebar)

40. Durability Plan Procedure
BRE Net Zero House, UK

41. 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

42. 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.

43. Case Study: Murray Grove (weather protection + pre-fabrication = durability)
Waugh Thistleton Architects

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

45. Module 3: Optimizing Wood Use for Materials Credits
Wood products are applicable to the majority of materials credits

46. 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

47. 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.

48. Forest Management Certification
Canadian Standards Association
National standard of Canada
Endorsed by PEFC
29.6 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)
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
U.S. and Canada
Endorsed by PEFC
20.6 million ha certified in B.C (YE-2010)

49. 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.

50. 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.

51. 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

52. 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.

53. Case Study: Percy Norman Aquatic Centre
Hughes Condon
Marler: Architects

54. 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 Centre
LEED Platinum
Larry McFarland Architects

55. 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.

56. Procedure Percentage of Local Materials =
Value of Local/Regional Material ($)
x 100
Value of Total Material ($)

57. 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?)

58. Case Study: Vancouver Convention Centre
Architects: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership Architects Designers Planners; Downs/Archambault & Partners; LMN Architects

59. 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 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).

60. 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.

61. Environmental Information Sheet
Should accompany MSDS
Summary statement of environment al criteria

62. 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

63. 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.

64. Case Study: Wood Anchor

65. 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.

66. 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

67. 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.

68. Salvaged Materials
Salvaged heavy timbers form structure in LEED VanCity branch in North Vancouver

69. A Little Piece of an Old House Lives On
The wood ceiling is saved and sold…
… to the Stanley Park concession stand!

70. 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

71. Percentage of Salvaged Material = Furniture may be included
Procedure
Percentage of Salvaged Material =
Value of Salvaged Material ($)
x 100
Value of Total Material ($)
Furniture may be included

72. 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.

73. 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

74. Case Study: Wood Salvaged from Flooded Lands
Triton Wood used in Mountain Equipment Co-op store

75. 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

76. 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.

77. 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.

78. Procedure Percentage of Construction Waste Diverted =
Amount diverted through Recycling and Salvage
Total Waste Generated
CWM calculations can be done by weight or volume, but must be consistent throughout

79. 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.

80. Responsibility of Trades Constant vigilance needed!
What you need to know:
BEFORE installing materials:
Submit material information sheets.
Check if your materials are approved.
ALL alternates must be approved.
On-site WASTE:
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
Separate in areas provided.
Submit waybills for all waste taken off-site.
Remove all moisture damaged materials from site.
Making dust? isolate area, protect air ducts.
Limit use of volatile liquids (solvents, fuels). Store in closed containers.
If in doubt ask…
Keep this a healthy building site.

81. Help at Hand for Installers and Trades: (Resources & Training)
Don’t Waste Wood
Light House
BuildSmart

82. 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

83. Health Impact of Buildings Source: 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.

84. Causes of Sick Building Syndrome
Inadequate ventilation.
Chemical contaminants from indoor and outdoor sources (VOCs, pollution, etc).
Biological contaminants (mold, etc).

85. 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 ).
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

86. 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.

87. 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

88. 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 containing UF.
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.

89. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
Required for HAZMAT management purposes

90. Environmental Information Sheet
Should accompany MSDS.
Presents VOC and UF emissions.
Summary statement of environmental criteria.

91. 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.

92. 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

93. 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 (

94. Case Study: Softwood Plywood Phenol Formaldehyde Glue

95. 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 S , Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools resulted.

96. Wood’s Acoustical Features Rarely Optimized
Acoustical design requires professional expertise
Get help from a member of the Acoustical Society of America
Cave Restaurant, Sydney, Australia (Takada Architects)

97. 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.

98. 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.

99. Case Study: Corelam soundframe™

100. 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

101. 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.

102. LCA: What’s Included Material usage Embodied energy
CO2 emissions and global warming potential
Air pollution
Solid waste generation
Water pollution
Environmental costs
Source:

103. How Wood Compares
Source: compiled using the Athena EcoCalculator, version 2.2, with a dataset appropriate for Vancouver, Canada. (

104. Rating Systems: Barely Recognizing the Life-cycle Benefits of Wood
Not Addressed
Built Green Canada
Built Green Canada MF
Built Green (WA)
Built Green (WA) MF
Built Green Colorado
Green Star
LEED NC Canada
LEED NC US
LEED CI
LEED for Homes
Living Building Challenge
NAHB Model Guidelines

105. 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

106. Embodied Energy Not Included 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.

107. Is Wood a Carbon-Neutral Material. (Thank you Prof
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.

108. 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).

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

110. 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
Free

111. Athena EcoCalculator Five impacts are measured.
Impacts are immediately updated with each entry.
Calibrated for various cities
and for either ‘High-Rise” or
“Low-Rise” construction.
Many assemblies are listed as “forthcoming”
Assemblies grouped by structural component.
Select building elements from tabs.

112. Athena Impact Estimator
Proprietary software – Quantity Survey type
Comprehensive
Precise
software: $600
report CD: $500
(includes 1 yr support)
additional copies:
software: $450
report CD $300
Five Impact measures calculated:
Global Warming Potential
Primary Energy
Weighted Resource Use
Air Pollution Index
Water Pollution Index

113. Athena Impact Estimator
The calculations and assumptions are completely unknown, unless there is more with the full version.
Items and assemblies are grouped on this Explorer-type tree. Details are entered on dialogue boxes for the various assemblies.

114. Athena Impact Estimator
Charts and graphs can be produced for the five impact measures by:
life cycle stages
assembly groupings
operating vs. embodied
Can not override assumptions. For example travel distance of materials.
Can be inflexible. Can not even see assumptions to make corrections.

115. Module 6: WHAT’S NEXT? Environmental INFORMATION SHEETS & ENVIRONMENTAL Product Declarations

116. 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.

117. Getting the Data: Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are Completed by Manufacturer
Courtesy Dr Sebastian Reuter, VTI, Germany

118. 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.

119. ? 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?

120. 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.

121. Thank You! ?
Questions?
More information available at
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