DIRTT s Approach to LEED

Transcription

1 DIRTT s Approach to LEED From Mogens Smed Founder of DIRTT Environmental Solutions Hello, The fact you are reading this letter means you care about the environmental footprint of your life s work. As our name indicates, at DIRTT Environmental Solutions we too are deeply committed to sustainability. We show it by using the least amount of real estate, materials, pollution and energy for our own business operations. We also devote ourselves to helping our clients create spaces that reduce sprawl, reduce material waste, give them better options for choosing existing buildings and create physical surroundings adaptable to their current and future needs without added waste, noise, materials or energy use. We applaud and respect the U.S. and Canadian Green Building Councils in their achievements. Their work encouraged a powerful drive toward making many building and design professionals think and act with regard for the environment. Their LEED certification system is also responsible for much of the general public s understanding of the importance of building sustainably. However, we believe the LEED point system is simply a good first step. By concentrating so heavily on recycled and recycling materials, the system, with few exceptions, misses the bigger picture. We want them to ask, Why create disposable spaces in the first place? We are fooling ourselves if we think we can carry on building, furnishing, heating and cooling super-sized spaces with intractable materials even if they are sent to the recyclers during construction and later in renovations. Better Disposal is expensive and adds to the carbon footprint. Recycling requires extra trades to police and clean the job-site, trucks to remove the materials, and then a facility to sort the materials using energy to turn them into something useable. Now the new product must be marketed, sold and delivered. All this uses more energy and creates more pollution. Our solutions are designed and manufactured using the least harmful materials we can source. Standard water-based finishes, powder coating, veneer wrapping, reusable and compact 3

2 packaging are just some of the programs we implemented. All our solutions can be disassembled and recycled. And DIRTT continually searches for and tests alternatives to any of our elements that could leave a lighter footprint. These are good things, but they are just the Feathers. The proverbial Chicken is still on the table. Our most valuable and truly sustainable efforts come from the perspective of Reduce and Reuse before ever surrendering to Recycle. The European approach to the environment has always recognized the Value of Design. The Europeans understand the contribution good Design makes in creating comfortable and inspirational working and living environments. There is a disturbing trend in North America to diminish the Value of Design. Developers and Owner s Representatives push Design out in favor of cookie-cutter spaces that rely on old technology and old ideas, no matter how invalid for the 21st century. This business as usual approach is clearly demonstrated in many LEED silver and gold projects where innovation and physical beauty lose out to the fear mongering of, that s the way we ve always done it. Great Design is the key to any effective sustainable solution because, really, who wants to sustain ugly? We believe the LEED system must, in all good conscious, take a stronger position in advocating total support for Design professionals and the value they bring the client, the building and the whole community. The Design Professionals are the ones who have to do the administrative work to apply for LEED; the least the Green Building Council could do is reward their skills beyond the ability to fill out forms! Having said all that, it is in our best interest to help you with the system now in place therefore; the following is an overview to assist you in finding ways of achieving LEED credits when you choose DIRTT. In spite of being contained in a subjective points system with DIRTT, your project will surpass any material choices made for the project and add long-life, loose-fit and a unique space designed by you to be adaptable to your client s needs day-to-day and for larger changes. I hope you don t mind. Sincerely, 4

3 DIRTT and LEED DIRTT Walls can contribute to credits in LEED in several ways. It is important to remember however that the Walls are one of many components making a contribution in a space. LEED does not certify products, and hence DIRTT Walls, Spider Agile Technology plug & play electrical solutions, Axios Networks modular data solutions and Wahu cabinetry can only contribute to a particular credit. Other items in a space also make a contribution to the final calculation for credit. Many credits in LEED are calculated as an average of the total materials cost on a project. In a LEED-NC (new construction) project, total materials cost necessarily takes into consideration the building shell: concrete, structural steel, roofing, etc. It is harder for DIRTT s Wall solution to make a significant contribution in the context of the entire building. In contrast, a LEED-CI (commercial interior) project will have fewer large costs items such as structural steel and concrete, with the result DIRTT Walls will be seen to have a greater impact on the average total materials cost. While every DIRTT project is unique, there are similarities in the Wall assemblies. Here is a list of credits and how DIRTT contributes to them. For more details on specific credits, contact your local DIRTT Rep. MRc4.1 & 4.2 Recycled Content All MDF tiles used in DIRTT Walls contain a high percentage of pre-consumer recycled content. Recycled content varies depending on the type of MDF used (Standard, No Added Urea Formaldehyde (NAUF) and No Added Formaldehyde (NAF) tiles). Calculation for recycled content is by weight first and foremost, making the use of MDF tiles in the Wall solution a significant contributor to recycled content in a space. Glass walls with aluminum frames earn no recycled credit; glass suppliers cannot guarantee their material meets rigorous manufacturing guidelines for pre-consumer recycled content. The DIRTT door core assembly counts as 100% recycled content. MRc5 Regional Materials LEED-CI calculates regional material credits differently than LEED-NC. In LEED-NC, material components in a project are considered regional if extracted and manufactured within a 500- mile/800 km radius of the final destination point; since the aluminum in the frame falls outside the radius, DIRTT cannot contribute to the credit. DIRTT Walls may qualify for this credit under LEED-CI 5.1, which separates extraction from the manufacturing site. A project manufactured within the 5

4 designated radius can qualify for a credit under LEED-CI. Currently, DIRTT is developing a way to automatically calculate LEED credits for recycled content and regional materials in ICE, reflecting the content variables found in any given project. MRc7 Certified Wood DIRTT offers FSC Certified MDF, and a selection of FSC Certified Veneers for an up charge. DIRTT Solid Walls with FSC MDF are FSC Pure (product groups manufactured with 100% FSC-certified materials), and hence qualify for the MRc7 credit. DIRTT s FSC Chain of Custody Certification Number is SCS-COC IEQc4.1 Low-Emitting Materials Adhesives & Sealants All adhesives currently used by DIRTT meet the LEED requirements for this credit, which sets a limit for VOCs of 70 g/l. IEQc4.2 Low-Emitting Materials Paints & Coatings Powder coating, DIRTT s aluminum finish, emits negligible or no VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAP s), and is compliant with the Federal government s regulations for waste disposal. Powder Coat also conforms to the European RoHS list. Chromacoat is the water-soluble painted finish used on MDF tiles in the DIRTT solid wall. It ensures VOC content is kept to an absolute minimum. No Added Formaldehyde MDF tiles covered with one coat of chromacoat are part of our SCS Indoor Advantage Gold certified wall assembly, c.f. IEQc4.5. IEQc4.4 Low Emitting Materials Composite Wood & Laminate Adhesives If clients want to ensure that products are urea-formaldehyde free, they can specify as an up charge an MDF tile with No Added Urea-Formaldehyde (NAUF) or No Added Formaldehyde (NAF). Several of our MDF tiles are also CARB 2 Certified (California Air Resources Board). Note that recycled content in NAUF and NAF tiles is typically lower than for standard MDF; tradeoffs must be made between higher recycled content or better indoor air quality. IEQc4.5 Low Emitting Materials Systems Furniture and Seating DIRTT Solid Walls with NAF MDF tiles, chromacoat finish one side, and DIRTT Center Glass Walls 6

5 are certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) as Indoor Advantage Gold, under the category of systems furniture and seating. This certification exceeds the related BIFMA certification and meets the criteria for IEQc4.5. ID Credit DIRTT Walls may contribute to a larger design strategy to achieve ID credits. The Breathe Living Wall may contribute to an ID credit when combined with a biophilic design strategy. The Spider Advantage Spider components meet rigorous standards for lead free content. The wiring is certified leadfree. The conduit meets the highest standards for content in parts per million (ppm): only 40ppm, which is significantly lower than the maximum of 300ppm allowed by RoHS. These material specifications are especially important when Spider is specified in LEED for Healthcare situations. DIRTT for Healthcare and LEED LEED 2009 for Healthcare is now a standard in the USGBC s repertoire of green certification rating systems. During its pilot phase, modular walls were introduced as counting towards an MR credit. In the new standard, adopted in late 2010 and published in February 2011, demountable partitions for 50% of applicable areas as a strategy for future flexibility are one of several criteria that contribute to MRc6. Two others that fit well with DIRTT walls include using modular or movable casework for 50% of casework and custom millwork; and identifying horizontal expansion capacity equal to a minimum of 30% of existing gross square footage, without demolition of occupied space. To learn more about the new credit, visit the LEED for Healthcare website. Final Note: DIRTT cannot contribute to every credit. Credits affected include MRc1 to MRc3 (resource reuse) and the daylighting credits under IEQc8. Only the design team can execute on these credits. Reusing DIRTT Walls that pre-existed in a space could contribute to MRc1.2, MRc1.3 or MRc3; and Sales Reps can provide direction regarding optimal heights for vision glazing between 0.76m (30 ) and 2.3m (90 ). DIRTT staff cannot, however, complete documentation on these credits. 7