Understanding sustainability

Doors and Hardware, Nov, 2006 by Tim Petersen

IT'S GREEN. IT'S DYNAMIC. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE education. Remember when positive pressure first hit the scene? What a confusing time, but all of us in the openings industry seemed to work our way through it. Just like positive pressure, this change will affect us all, whether we are in doors, frames, hardware, distribution or installation.

We are just in the beginning phases of this transition to a more environmentally friendly building process. As much as this transition is difficult, in actuality it is a good thing.

Sustainable design

As part of the transition, the name has already changed. The new catch phrase is "sustainable design." Sustainable design is actually a much more encompassing term than the well-known term, "Green."

Sustainable design is an integrated, synergistic approach, in which all phases of the facility lifecycle are considered. Many architects have practiced sustainable design for years. The focus is on reducing the impact of the building process on the environment, and it can be practiced without the need for third party verification or the assigning of points. It does not require limited product sources from certified chains of custody, or paper trails of additional documentation.

Environmental sustainability has been defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Again, just as with sustainable design the worthy goal of building environmentally sustainable buildings can be achieved without the involvement of added red tape and paperwork associated with third party verification. Some architectural firms and contractors have been building sustainable for years achieving these goals without any fanfare.

However, there seems to come a time when we all need more regulation in our lives to assure someone we are doing a good job in the construction industry of building sustainable structures. With that being said, there is a lot of third party verification taking place in the construction industry, and our environment will come out ahead because of it.

So we all need to jump on board. There is an entirely new industry focused on environmental topics, and third party verification is being required on more and more construction projects. The entire building industry is being shaped by this change.

LEED-ing organizations

As an industry, we need to take a very proactive approach to sustainable design. If we don't, we will be dictated to by well-intentioned organizations that don't necessarily understand our products or processes. Environmental organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) do not allow input from industry groups like the Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) or the Doors and Hardware Institute (DHI), and yet they are setting standards for our industry, For all the good they do on the environmental front, their limited perspective regarding wood usage is radically changing the direction of the openings industry.

The USGBC's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System[TM] is the leading program in the construction industry. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

LEED is by far ahead of the curve among environmental trend setting organizations and is recognized by more environmentally concerned architects, contractors, and government organizations than any other group. We all need to be aware of LEED and understand its direction.

According to the USGBC, "Green building design includes all players in an integrated development process, from design team (building owners, architects, engineers, and consultants), the construction team (materials manufacturers, contractors, and waste haulers), maintenance staff, and building occupants."

LEED was created to:

* define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement

* promote integrated, whole-building design practices

* recognize environmental leadership in the building industry

* stimulate green competition

* raise consumer awareness of green building benefits

* transform the building market

Building-specific standards

LEED standards are currently available or under development for several building types including:

* New commercial construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC)

* Existing building operations (LEED-EB)

* Commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI)

* Core and shell projects (LEED-CS)

* Homes (LEED-H)

* Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)

LEED-NC is for new construction and major renovation projects. It is a measurement system designed for rating commercial and institutional buildings, with a focus on office buildings.

LEED-EB is a set of performance standards for the sustainable operation of existing buildings. The LEED-EB criteria cover building operations and system upgrades in existing buildings where the majority of interior or exterior surfaces remain unchanged.

LEED-CI is for Commercial Interiors, and addresses the specifics of tenant spaces in office, retail and institutional buildings. LEED-CI is part of a comprehensive suite of LEED green building rating tools USGBC is developing to promote green design, construction and operations practices in buildings nationwide.