Engineered Wood Journal - Spring 2009 - (Page 14) SCORING POINTS WITH WOOD While both are points-based systems, LEED includes a possible total of 69 points, while Green Globes includes up to 1,000. (The total for Green Globes varies because projects only ISSUE Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) LEED® for New Construction Not currently included; the USGBC is considering how to incorporate LCA into future LEED products receive scores in applicable categories.) Materials and resources represent approximately 19 percent of LEED and 10 percent of Green Globes points. COMMENT LCA is a way of evaluating materials over their entire lives based on measurable environmental impacts; it eliminates subjectivity from the judgment process 10-year rotation is arbitrary; preference should be given to all renewable materials with an emphasis on those shown to be superior through LCA. Points should be given to wood that comes from a sustainable source and is certified through any credible program Locally produced materials do not necessarily have less impact on the environment GREEN GLOBES® for New Construction 10 points each for using LCA tools to choose building systems or assemblies; GBI is working to integrate LCA data into the system Renewability 1 point if 5% of the total value of buildings materials comes from rapidly renewable sources, defined as 10-year rotation or less 5 points for proportion of materials that are bio-based, such as green insulation, natural fibers and natural structural materials Forest Certification 1 point if 50% or more of the wood-based materials and products are FSC certified 5 points for lumber and timber panel products that originate from sustainable sources and are certified through SFI, CSA, FSC or ATFS Potential advantages of locally manufactured materials are captured in preference for materials that have undergone LCA Locally Produced Materials 1 point if a minimum 10% of total building materials were extracted, processed and manufactured within a 500 mile radius; a second point for 20% minimum 1 point for low-emitting materials if composite wood and agrifiber products contain no added ureaformaldehyde resins Other Possible Points 5 points for environmentally preferable products and equipment that are third-party certified 0.5 points for raised floors 0.5 points for partition walls that are easily removed and recyclable Wood and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) LCA studies show that wood has a softer environmental footprint than steel or concrete in terms of embodied energy, air and water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. It also has better insulating value, which reduces the need for heating and cooling. For more information, please visit the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute at www.athenasmi.ca or the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials at www.corrim.org. of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration and Department of Health and Human Services—have either adopted or proposed formal green building policies for all of their buildings. 14 To date, the vast majority of legislation has focused on the new construction of publicly funded buildings. This isn’t a surprise when you consider that most public entities are under severe pressure to reduce their budgets; the potential operational savings associated with high performance buildings are simply too attractive to ignore. The most common type of legislation currently mandates publicly funded buildings over a given size threshold—typically between 5,000 and Engineered Wood Journal • Spring 2009 http://www.athenasmi.ca http://www.corrim.org
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