Green Building Rating Systems: Making Wood Fit for Suppliers

1. Green Building Rating Systems: Making Wood Fit for Suppliers 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 products. Best practices for articulating the environmental performance of buildings.

3. Agenda • Module 1: Introduction • Green building rating systems and how they work • The role of products in green building success – introduction to EIS • Module 2: Materials criteria • Construction waste management • Salvaged materials • Recycled materials • Locally produced materials • Certified wood • Indoor air quality • Module 3: Putting it all together with EIS • Combining LEED credits in a single product • Interactive exercise • Module 4: Macro design issues • Passive design • Durability • Acoustics • Life cycle assessment 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 advantageor disadvantage in termsof 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 the World’s Rating Systems (a moving target, 60 at last count)

12. Rating Systems 101: The thing to know: • There are many different systems. • Systems often overlap in terms of admissible building type, geographic location, etc. • They all function in a similar way - once you understand one, you’ll be able to handle most of them.

13. Where Do Wood Products Fit? Certified wood: most green building rating systems recognize multiple forest certification schemes, except LEED which accepts only one. 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.

14. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood ProductsRating systems for commercial buildings

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

16. % Credits Involving the Use of Wood ProductsRating systems for single-family residential buildings

17. 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

18. 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).

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

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

21. Rating Systems Currently Do Not Recognize the Environmental Benefits of Wood Concert Hall, Caracas, Venezuela GAPS Carbon Footprint impacts ignored: ISO 14040 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.

22. 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

23. Module 2:Optimizing Wood Use for Green Building Rating Systems Wood products are applicable to the majority of materials credits….

24. Construction Waste Reduce Reuse Recycle Recover Residuals 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.

25. Construction Waste Management (What can suppliers do to help?) Coordinate with shop drawing providers to right-size components prior to fabrication Work with manufacturers to minimize packaging Ensure all pallets are removed from site Work with installers so that practices minimize waste – upstream training may be necessary Initiate product take-back programs, servicing agreements, leases Documentation is critical!

26. 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.

27. What Suppliers Need to Know • 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. • Prepare information about a product’s recyclability and end-of life impacts. • Coordinate with shop drawing providers to right-size components prior to fabrication. • Work with installers so that practices minimize waste – upstream training may be necessary. • Initiate product take-back programs, servicing agreements, leases.

28. Responsibility of TradesConstant 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.

29. Help at Hand for Installers and Trades: (Light House resources & training) Don’t Waste Wood Light House BuildSmart

30. 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.

31. Terminology Landscape mulch from wood waste chipped on site by Vancouver-based Klondike Contracting 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.

32. Salvaged Materials Salvaged heavy timbers form structure in LEED VanCitybranch in North Vancouver

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

34. Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) Infested pine tree Roughly half of BC’s mature 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.

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

36. What Suppliers Need to Know • Ensure that all materials only 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.

37. 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

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

39. 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) diverted from waste streams, or • at the end of service life (post consumer).

40. 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 .

41. Procedure Recycled Content Value ($) = (% post consumer RC ($) x materials cost) + (% pre consumer RC ($) x materials cost)* *some rating systems apply a factor for pre-consumer recycled content

42. What Suppliers Need to Know • Material technical data must clearly spell out proportion of recycled content in total assembly based on weight. • Costs need to exclude labour for calculation purposes. • If in doubt, source independently audited data from a reputable third party agency. • 14021 Environmental Labels and Declarations – Self-Declared Environmental Claims (Type II Environmental Labelling) is the international standard used to verify recycled content.

43. Case Study: Wood Anchor www.woodanchor.com

44. Locally Produced Materials Gulf Islands Operations Centre LEED Platinum Larry McFarland Architects Match a local design aesthetic. Tend to be more durable in the local climate. Leverage local expertise (installation, maintenance, etc). Supports local economies. Reduces the environmental impact of transportation (dependent on type/ volume/weight of material and mode of transportation).

45. Map For the purposes 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, 1,500 mi (2,400 km) if shipped by rail or water.

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

47. What Suppliers Need to Know May be different, and different for various product components! ? • Where the materials used to make the product were extracted, harvested or processed. • Where the final product was manufactured. • The distance of these locations to the site. • How the materials were transported to the project site (Were they delivered by rail, water or truck?).

48. Case Study: Vancouver Convention Centre Architects: MussonCattell Mackey Partnership Architects Designers Planners; Downs/Archambault & Partners; LMN Architects

49. 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.

50. Certified Wood • Forest Certification verifies the sustainability of forest management. • Chain of custody certification tracks wood from point of harvest to its end use. • More than 50 certification standards worldwide. • Two international umbrella organizations: • PEFC • FSC