Green Building Rating Systems: how wood fit for architect

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. 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 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

6. Climate Change Impacts: Construction v Operation • Most building material choices and budgets ignore the true impacts of material manufacture and disposal. To date, most of the focus in green building (and rating systems) has been on improving operational efficiency.

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 • 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

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 ProductsRating systems for commercial buildings

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

15. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood ProductsRating 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 Impact Commercial MF residential SF residential

19. Is Wood Treated Fairly (in general terms)?

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

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 - www.bcfii.ca. • Summary available at www.naturallywood.com/resources • Full report available from info@naturallywood.com

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

25. Passive Design = Free Energy

26. 4 Steps to Passive Design Passive Design Toolkit Vancouver: www.vancouver.ca/greenestcity/new.htm Passive House Institute: www.passiv.de 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.

27. Wood’s Role in Passive Design 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 • Unique combination of properties: • Thermal resistance • Natural finish • Structural integrity • Light weight • Weatherproof

28. How to Include Wood in Passive Design Standard details for advanced wood framing available from CMHC: http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/bude/himu/codemo/ codemo_001.cfm#CP_JUMP_62280 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.

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 Steel column base by Structurecraft provides durable solution for wood structure. www.structurecraft.com Design Service Life Category Failure Predicted Service Life Maintenance Frequency Maintenance Access Cost Building Envelope Systems

35. Design Service Life

36. Failure Category

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

40. Durability Plan Procedure BRE Net Zero House, UK

41. Envelope Commissioning (part of whole building commissioning) Air Leakage through a Building Enclosure 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.

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.