Keeping up with the specs

Concrete Producer, The, August, 2004

Producers should be aware that the ASTM scientific committee is trying to transform sustainability topics from marketing efforts into measurable performance standards. For five years, members of ASTM subcommittee E06.71 on Sustainability, part of Committee E-06 on Performance of Buildings, have been working hard to develop a scientific response to the technical issues.

In the April 2004 ASTM Standardization News, Dru Meadows, chairman of E06.71, summarized current committee activities. In ASTM E2114, "Terminology for Sustainability Relative to the Performance of Buildings," sustainability is defined as "the maintenance of ecosystem components and functions for future generations."

The standard also defines sustainable development as "the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." With this in mind, the committee has been working to address sustainability's three primary considerations--environmental, economic, and social.

Meadows' subcommittee is coordinating with other ASTM committees. A major effort is compiling the ASTM "International Standards on Sustainability in Buildings." This wide-ranging document has 127 standards that address everything from performance of wetlands to building design.

There are several efforts close to final comment periods. These include:

Environmentally Preferable Products: The federal government and several states have drafted initiatives to encourage purchasing environmentally preferable products. E06.71 has been developing standards to help establish a consistent approach to evaluate and document these products. Their current work includes evaluating life cycles as referenced in E219, Data Collection in Sustainable Assessment of Building Products.

Building Sustainability: The sub-committee is developing a draft that may become a "Guide for General Principles of Sustainability Relative to Buildings." The standard will identify issues associated with the decision-making process used to balance environmental, economic, and social issues.

Building elements and sitework: The subcommittee is also developing a draft standard that deals with the construction, renovation, retrofit, and reuse of the building. The "Classification for Sustainable Building Elements and Related Sitework" will focus on the major building components, rather than the building's operation.

Green roofs: A green roof is an assembly that supports a planting or landscaping area on a man-made structure. A vegetation zone on top of buildings or other structures can reduce stormwater runoff and provide a growing medium for plants that can help reduce heat island temperature gains. Meadows' subcommittee is considering several standards that address performance metrics for green roofs.

Earthen Building Systems: The subcommittee is developing standards to define performance aspects of adobe, rammed earth and straw, and other building systems.

If you are interested in participating in the work of E06.71, please contact either Steve Mawn at smawn@astm.org or Dru Meadows at dmeadows@thegreenteaminc.com.