A New Way of Doing Business

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1 Sustainable Design A New Way of Doing Business Sustainable design is the art of designing physical objects to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability. It ranges from the microcosm of designing small objects for everyday use, through to the macrocosm of designing buildings, cities, and the earth s physical surface. Sustainable design is the fastest growing and most misunderstood topic to hit the openings industry, and the architectural wood door industry, specifically, since positive pressure. The underlying purpose and direction is absolutely essential for the environment. We all need to focus on using less and reusing as much as possible. Often, in discussing sustainable design, many in our industry respond in a negative or skeptical fashion. The underlying thought is that we are being dictated to by outside influences that don t have our industry s best interests in mind, and we are being forced to make adjustments to our products based on the direction of organizations that don t understand our products. Well, all of these may be true! However this does not mean this change is bad. As Martha Stewart would say It s a good thing! This change is good for the worldwide environment, the manufacturing environment, and the jobsite environment. It is also a movement that is not going away. As stated by, Harvey M. Bernstein, Vice President, Industry Analytics & Alliances, McGraw Hill Construction, We can safely say that green building is no longer a fad, but an increasingly important new way of doing business. This is a realization we in manufacturing, as well as in distribution, need to take seriously. By Tim Petersen LEED AP National Sales Manager Architectural Wood Doors VT Industries Inc. Graph 1 LEED-NC Market Transformation 289 Certified Projects 2,069 Projects 289 M gsf 50 States 13 Countries As of All statistics exclude pilot projects Source USGBC 10

2 LEED-NC in the USA: Federal Government USA General Services Administration (GSA) LEED certified projects beginning in 2003 U. S. Air Force LEED Application Guide for Lodging Department of State Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grant for LEED Existing Buildings U. S. Navy Grant for LEED Residential Graph 2 LEED-NC in the USA State Government Use*: Local Government Use*: California Austin, TX Maryland Arlington, VA Massachusettes Boulder, CO New Jersey Chicago and Cook County, IL New York Los Angeles, CA Oregon Portland, OR Portland, OR Pennsylvania San Jose, CA Washington San Francisco, CA Graph 3 Global Interest in LEED Australia Canada China France India Brazil Curaco Japan Spain Mexico Italy Cote D;Lvoire Guatemala Chile Graph 4 * Source USGBC Certified, Certified, Certified, Certified, Seattle, WA As an industry, we need to embrace this change and work to educate our customer base, end-users, architects, designers and the general contractors with factual information. Laura Viscusi, Vice President, Associate Publisher of Architectural Record recently stated, Architects are concerned with Green Washing. They are looking for a sustainable message from manufacturers that is true. They want manufacturers to walk the walk and put their money where their mouth is. In other words, many in the architectural community are skeptical of the manufacturing community. LEED At a Glance There are many environmental organizations for us to be aware of. Let s focus on the leading organization. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the most prominent player in the green building movement. They have done an outstanding job in marketing their program and objectives. (See Graph 1) LEED is being adopted by more and more countries, US government agencies, municipalities and private organizations. (See Graphs 2,3 and 4) Jobs requiring LEED credits are varied and driven by many different factors. The architectural community has embraced the movement and really uses it to market their firms to new clients. Data is now becoming available 4 5,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, ,0 0 0, As of C A N Y W A P A O R T X M I IL M A A Z S ta te a n d N u mbe r o f P r o je c ts All statistics exclude pilot projects SEPTEMBER 2006 DOORS AND HARDWARE 11

that shows the healthy effects of building green; the life cycle costs of building and maintaining buildings that are more efficient and the reduced impact on the environment.

0 5 M U L T I-U N IT R E S ID E N T IA L 3 % L IB R A R Y 3 % Projects by Owner Type _R e g is te re d P ro je c ts b y O w n e r T y p e O T H E R 8 % N O N P R O F IT C O R P O R A T IO N 2 0 % K

2 2 % A ll s ta tis tic s e x c lu d e p ilo t p ro je c ts LEED-NC Market Transformation Projects by Building Type M U L T I U S E 3 2 % C O M M E R C IA L O F F IC E 1 4 % 9.

05 All statistics exclude pilot projects Source USGBC LEED standards are currently available for several building types including: New commercial construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC)

3 that shows the healthy effects of building green; the life cycle costs of building and maintaining buildings that are more efficient and the reduced impact on the environment. L E E DLEED-NC Market Transformation T formation S T A T E G O V E R N M E N T 1 2 % A s o f M U L T I-U N IT R E S ID E N T IA L 3 % L IB R A R Y 3 % Projects by Owner Type _R e g is te re d P ro je c ts b y O w n e r T y p e O T H E R 8 % N O N P R O F IT C O R P O R A T IO N 2 0 % K -1 2 E D U C A T IO N 6 % F E D E R A L G O V E R N M E N T 8 % O T H E R 3 % H IG H E R E D U C A T IO N 7 % IN D IV ID U A L 2 % P R O F IT C O R P O R A T IO N 2 8 % L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T 2 2 % A ll s ta tis tic s e x c lu d e p ilo t p ro je c ts LEED-NC Market Transformation Projects by Building Type M U L T I U S E 3 2 % C O M M E R C IA L O F F IC E 1 4 % A ll s ta tis tic s e x c lu d e p ilo t p r As of All statistics exclude pilot projects Source USGBC LEED standards are currently available for several building types including: New commercial construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC) n Existing building operations (LEED-EB) n Commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI) n Core and shell projects (LEED-CS) n Homes (LEED-H) n Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) The category that has affected the wood door industry the most. LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) is a green building rating system that was designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects, with a focus on office buildings. Practitioners have also applied the system to K-12 schools, multi-unit residential buildings, manufacturing plants, laboratories and many other building types. New for 2006, LEED-NC v. 2.2 LEED-NC has been upgraded to version 2.2. As of January 1, 2006, all projects must register under this new version. As the first green building rating system in the United States, (LEED-NC) has grown remarkably since its release in The following summarizes major technical changes that affect wood doors. n MR % Recycled Content n MR % Recycled Content n MR % Regional Materials n MR % Regional Materials n EQ 4.4 Low Emitting Materials The new categories are explained below. MR Credit 4.1: Recycled Content: 10% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer) Intent: Increase demand for building products that incorporate recycled content materials, thereby reducing impacts resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials. Requirements: Use materials with recycled content such that the sum of post-consumer recycled content plus onehalf of the pre-consumer content constitutes at least 10% (based on cost) of the total value of the materials in the project. The recycled content value of a material assembly shall be determined by weight. The recycled fraction of the assembly is then multiplied by the cost of assembly to determine the recycled content value. MR Credit 4.2: Recycled Content: 20% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer) Intent: Increase demand for building products that incorporate recycled content materials, thereby reducing the impacts resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials. Requirements: Use materials with recycled content such that the sum of post-consumer recycled content plus one-half of the pre-consumer content constitutes an additional 10% beyond MR Credit 4.1 (total of 20%, based on cost) of the total value of the materials in the project. The recycled content value of a material assembly shall be determined by weight. The recycled fraction of the assembly is then multiplied by the cost of assembly to determine the recycled content value. MR Credit 5.1: Regional Materials: 10% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally Intent: Increase demand for building materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within 12

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5 the region, thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation. Requirements: Use building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site for a minimum of 10% (based on cost) of the total materials value. If only a fraction of a product or material is extracted/harvested/recovered and manufactured locally, then only that percentage (by weight) shall contribute to the regional value. MR Credit 5.2: Regional Materials: 20% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally Intent: Increase demand for building materials and products that are e x tracted and manufactured within the region, thereby supporting the use of indigenous resources and reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation. Requirements: Use building materials or products that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured, within 500 miles of the project site for an additional 10% beyond MR Credit 5.1 (total of 20%, based on cost) of the total materials value. If only a fraction of a product or material is extracted/harvested/recovered and manufactured locally, then only that percentage (by weight) shall contribute to the regional value. EQ Credit 4.4: Low-Emitting Materials: Composite Wood & Agrifiber Products Intent: Reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants. Requirements: Composite wood a nd ag r if iber products used on the interior of the building (defined as inside of the weatherproofing system) shall contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins. Laminating adhesives used to fabricate on-site and shop-applied composite wood and agrifiber assemblies shall contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins. Composite wood and agrifiber products are defined as: particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), plywood, wheatboard, strawboard, panel substrates and door cores. Materials considered fit-out, furniture and equipment (FF&E) are not considered base building elements and are not included. 2.2 removed credit opportunities The credit opportunities removed from the new version that apply to architectural wood doors were: EQ 4.1- Low-Emitting Materials: Adhesives and Sealants, and EQ 4.2 Low-Emitting Materials: Paints and Coatings. Neither of these two credits now applies to wood doors manufactured and/or finished in a factory. Specifications run the gambit from outstanding to less than understandable when it comes to environmental specification. Most major wood door manufacturers have specifications written for their products and literature available on their Web sites detailing what they can provide. A simple rule to follow that will get you in the ballpark is to remember that wood doors can assist the building with earning LEED points in multiple ways. This chart will help simplify the choices. There are a number of variables that will affect the points assistance wood doors can bring to a building. Manufacturing capability, approvals achieved, distance from the job, etc All of these may affect the total, but none should preclude a manufacturer from being able to do the job. For instance, if a manufacturer does not meet the criteria for manufacturing within 500 miles of the job, this does not mean the manufacturer s product can not be used. It simply means the product will not assist the building in achieving the points for products manufactured within 500 miles. Hopefully the building will still be able to achieve those points by using other wood products that are sourced locally. Also keep in mind there is a distinct price difference between the various core materials. Recycled content which utilizes particleboard (the standard in the industry) can be 30-40% less expensive than FSC Certified (Green stave core) or Rapidly Renewable (Agrifiber core). This price discrepancy often times is the deciding factor as to what product is used on a job. On many jobs, it really boils down to how much are those 2 extra points worth? Can they achieve the level of certification they desire on the building while saving money on the doors? Point Category FSC Certified Recycled Content Rapidly Renewable LEED Version NC 2.1 NC 2.2 NC 2.1 NC 2.2 NC 2.1 NC 2.2 Potential Points Wood Doors Can Assist with

that impact the membership. They have developed a Statement of Beliefs to demonstrate WDMA s leadership role and commitment to environmental stewardship.

6 Rapidly renewable core material can assist with achieving six potential LEED points. WDMA responds At the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA), the Environmental Stewardship Committee is working to raise the level of awareness of WDMA members of environmental activities that impact the membership. They have developed a Statement of Beliefs to demonstrate WDMA s leadership role and commitment to environmental stewardship. Having WDMA take an active role in the environmental movement is definitely a plus for our industry. WDMA has become a member of the USGBC. By recently having a staff member, Rick Perry, join the USGBC, our industry will now have a voice (with voting rights), actively involved with the USGBC. You will also see an increase in activity relating to sustainable issues from WDMA. The committee has recently surveyed members as to their needs and understandings relating to environmental issues. There will also be increased information shared with the members through their newsletters, bulletins and postings on their Web site. WDMA has also become more actively involved with other environmental groups such as Green Globes. The Green Globes program is the commercial part of the Green Building Initiative SEPTEMBER 2006 DOORS AND HARDWARE 15

7 Doors with 100 percent FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Smartwood certified wood can assist with sustainable design. Introducing... The INGRESS R 6 x 36 Touch Activated Automatic Door Switch PROVIDE ACCESS FOR ALL exceeds ANSI/BMHA code A center activating column running full 36 height provides activation from any approach and height Tapered contour profile prevents shear-off from wheeled conveyances Weather resistant construction Easy retrofit and new installations Designed and manufactured by the innovators in touch activated door controls for 26 years. CONTACT US Local Fax: Toll Free: Fax: sales@wikk.com Ingress r Details (GBI). Please check out the WDMA Web site at Remember, it is the design professional s choice as to what categories they are interested in utilizing architectural wood doors for. That being said, it is critical that the openings community continue to educate the architectural community as to what is commercially available. Environmental sustainability has been defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Because of this direction, it is extremely important to keep in mind that when all environmental directives are stated, it is crucial that a product remains functional for the entire life cycle of the building. The ability of a wood door to function in the opening for the life cycle of the building is the best environmental statement a wood product can make. About the Author: Tim Petersen, LEED AP, national sales manager at VT Industries Inc., has over 27 years experience in the openings industry, and is a LEED accredited professional. 16

A New Way of Doing Business

ROBERT G. RYAN EDITORIAL AWARDS 2007 Tim Petersen 2 n d P l a c e T e c h n i c a l Sustainable Design A New Way of Doing Business Sustainable design is the art of designing physical objects to comply