In the United States alone, an estimated 24 billion sf of gypsum board, nearly 30 billion sf of flooring, and 11.5 billion sf of insulation are sold annually. Even a modest reduction in the carbon footprint associated with these products could contribute substantively to creating a healthier built environment.
Perkins&Will, in collaboration with Healthy Building Network, a nonprofit research organization, has posted online two reports aimed at changing the way AEC firms select sustainable, lower-carbon building materials.
Drywall and flooring’s production and transportation have notable environmental footprints, and the products can emit hazardous chemicals. Insulation releases greenhouse gases throughout its lifecycle, and can contain toxic chemicals that make interior spaces less safe.
One of the reports, titled “Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Gypsum Drywall and Flooring,” identifies key drivers of embodied carbon (EC) by looking at examples of product categories that are specified frequently for building projects. For gypsum drywall, the biggest opportunity to work toward lower carbon is to reduce energy use at the manufacturing site, states the report. To work toward material health, reducing mercury that drywall releases by using natural, rather than synthetic, gypsum is a key driver.
The report asserts that choosing a product type with lower impacts is the greatest opportunity to reduce EC and avoid chemicals of concern in flooring. Plant-derived bio-based flooring such as linoleum, cork, and hardwood tend to be lower in EC and comprise safer base materials. The report also suggests ways to lessen the impact of carpeting and resilient flooring, such as by reducing the impacts associated with carpet fiber production, and increasing the service life of resilient flooring.
Insulation is not one size fits all
The second report, titled “Embodied Carbon and Material Health in Insulation,” translates results from assessment tools into guidance for manufacturers, AEC firms, and green building programs to optimize their decisions and promote and select healthier, low-carbon products.
The research finds that not all insulation can be used for all applications, nor are all insulation types exchangeable for one another. When insulation is normalized by R value (which measures how well the product resists heat), the biggest opportunities to reduce EC and prioritize material health revolve around product choices.
The report also recommends giving preference to insulation manufacturers with established take-back programs, and favoring products with Health Product Declarations or Environmental Product Declarations that are third-party verified. An Appendix in the insulation report provides lists of product types that specifiers should prefer, reduce, or avoid for lower EC and better material health.
“Our research collaboration with Healthy Building Network underscores the importance of industry partnerships in effecting change,” says Leigh Christy, Principal and co-director of Research at Perkins&Will. “These reports give project teams and the industry at large vital information to make informed decisions about materials and products that are good for people and the planet.”
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2010
11 Tips for Breathing New Life into Old Office Spaces
A slowdown in new construction has firms focusing on office reconstruction and interior renovations. Three experts from Hixson Architecture Engineering Interiors offer 11 tips for office renovation success. Tip #1: Check the landscaping.
| Nov 2, 2010
A Look Back at the Navy’s First LEED Gold
Building Design+Construction takes a retrospective tour of a pace-setting LEED project.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
| Oct 12, 2010
University of Toledo, Memorial Field House
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Memorial Field House, once the lovely Collegiate Gothic (ca. 1933) centerpiece (along with neighboring University Hall) of the University of Toledo campus, took its share of abuse after a new athletic arena made it redundant, in 1976. The ultimate insult occurred when the ROTC used it as a paintball venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cell and Genome Sciences Building, Farmington, Conn.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.