Wood and Sustainable Building - Lunch & Learn

Wood and Sustainable Building

Project: Redwoods TreehouseArchitect: Pacific Environments ArchitectsLocation: Warkworth, New ZealandImage: Lucy Gauntlett Design

Wood and Sustainable Building © FWPA 2011

Learn more about wood at UTAS

Centre for Sustainable Architecture with WoodGraduate Certificate in Timber (Processing & Building)• 4 units, part time, onlineAreas covered include:• Wood science• Design for durability and service for life• Timber as a renewable resource• Sustainable design and construction• Engineered wood products• International technologies and developments• Plus, selected topics of individual interestMore information: Associate Professor Greg Nolan (03) 6324 4478 or [email protected]


Learning Objectives

• After this presentation you should be able to:– Understand how wood can contribute to a sustainable

building– Compare wood products to other materials using Life cycle

assessment (LCA) methodology– Understand why specifying wood from well-managed

forests and plantations is good way to minimise the carbon footprint of a built structure

• For architects - AACA Competencies:– Design– Documentation


This Presentation

• What is LCA? Benefits and limitations• International applications• Australian applications / requirements

– BPIC project• LCA and timber in Australia

– Whole of building: FWPA RMIT LCA– Whole of Australia– Element scale

• Where is the field likely to go from here?


Environmental Buzzwords

• Reused, recycled, recycled content• Carbon neutral• Non-toxic, non-virgin, PVC-free• Natural, renewable, rapidly renewable• Durable• Green• Sustainable• Locally sourced• Low VOC, low formaldehyde• Climate/earth/environmentally/eco/

dolphin friendly

Project: Art Gallery of OntarioArchitect: Gehry International ArchitectsEngineer: Halcrow YollesLocation: Toronto, Canada


How do Specifiers Decide?

• Make an educated guess – based on personal experience

or

• Use peers, friends, third partiesor

• Don’t decide - decision paralysis Project: Dusk BarArchitects: Campbell DrakeLocation: St. Kilda, VIC


Third Parties: e.g. Green Star, Ecospecifier


Lifecycle Flow Chart


What is LCA?

• Standard method to evaluate environmental imposts associated with a product or process over its life cycle

• Identifies and quantifies energy and materials inputs and waste outputs to the environment

• Assesses the affect of identified energy and materials inputs and outputs on the environment

• Evaluates opportunities to improve or reduce


Components of an LCA

ISO 14040 series


1. Goal and Scope

• Goal– Intended application and audience– Comparative? Public?

• Scope:– System boundary– Functional unit / functional

equivalence– List assumptions Project: Richmond Olympic Oval

Architect: Cannon DesignEngineer: Fast & EppLocation: Richmond, Canada


1. Goal and Scope: Functional Unit

• Basic unit of measurement• e.g.

– 1 m3 of sawn timber– 1 m2 of brick wall– 1 tonne steel– Single brick– 1 m2 of floor area per year


1. Goal and Scope: Functional Equivalence

Comparing things that do the same thing• OK

– Insulated timber wall frame vs insulated steel wall frame

– 5 star timber clad/framed house vs 5 star double brick house

• Not generally OK– kg steel vs kg concrete– m3 aluminium vs m3 wood


2. Inventory – Inputs and Outputs


3. Impact Assessment - Categories

• Commonly used:– Global warming potential (greenhouse effect)– Eutrophication (water pollution)– Smog formation, ozone depletion– Acidification (acid rain)– Human toxicity, aquatic toxicity– Non-renewable resource depletion– Water use / depletion– Land transformation and use– Solid waste

Project: Redwoods TreehouseArchitect: Pacific Environments ArchitectsLocation: Warkworth, New ZealandImage: Lucy Gauntlett Design


3. Impact Assessment – Optional Elements

• Normalisation (magnitude of impacts relative to a reference)– e.g. Australian average per capita– World average per capita

• Weighting to get one number = “the answer”– e.g.

• GHG 30%, water use 20%, resource depletion 10% …… = 100%• GHG 10%, photochemical 10%, eutrophication 10% …. =100%


4. Interpretation and Improvement

• Conclusions and recommendations

• Consistent with goal and scope

Project: Permanent CampingArchitect: Casey Brown Architecture Location: Mudgee, NSW


4. Interpretation and Improvement


Benefits of LCA

• Methodical approach / international standards• Reveals trade-offs• Scalable - can cover small part of process or whole-

of-life cycle of a product or service• Identifies areas for process and/or supply chain

improvement and investment• Identifies strengths and weaknesses vs competitors• Save $$$ • Reduce exposure to risk


Benefits of LCA

• Allows proactive rather than reactive action• Comprehensive, authoritative and objective • Provides customers quality information for decision

making (and more informed questions!)• Goes “beyond carbon” on sustainability• Support of industry and academics


Limitations of LCA

• Not every factor can be reduced to a number and modelled• Rigid system boundaries make accounting for changes in the

system difficult• Data quality: availability, accuracy, completeness and

representative• Social implications of products are generally lacking• Lack of agreement on allocation method for inputs/outputs of

co-products and/or end-of-life• There are guidelines to help reduce such conflicts • Spatially and temporal limitations – particularly important for

renewable materials


International Applications

• In Building– ATHENA/CORRIM – North

America• Detached housing and

commercial

– MAF / SCION – New Zealand• Commercial

Project: Outcrop House Architect: Peter Stutchbury Architecture Engineer: Simon MayLocation: North Beaches, NSWImage: Michael Nicholson


International Applications


Australian Applications & Requirements

• Australian Government:– Scoping study for building materials– Carbon offset standard

• Industry organisations:– Think Brick - Energetics– FWPA – RMIT University

• Companies:– Plastics, water, waste, agriculture, construction

materials


Australian Use of LCA: Carbon Offset Standard

• Carbon neutral products• 100% of GHG emissions associated

with the life cycle of product or service offset through approved GHG abatement measures

• Assessed using LCA methodology• Verified by independent LCA

practitioners


Australian Use of LCA: BPIC LCI Project

• Objectives– Level playing field – Define environmental impact categories – get on

front foot– Get all major building materials to collect LCI – Develop rules about use of data– Develop environmental weightings – Industry alternative if sustainability of building

materials is regulated


Applications for Australian companies and their clients

• NGERS reporting driving LCA take-up• Some developers committed to beyond NGERS

– total company carbon neutrality (e.g. Bovis Lend Lease)

• Used in marketing timber:– www.timbeck.com.au– www.watimberframing.com.au

http://www.timbeck.com.au/

http://www.watimberframing.com.au/


LCA and building timber in Australia

• LCA Houses - RMIT• DEH Scoping LCA• LCA Windows - BRANZ


FWPA RMIT LCA: Objectives

• Compare the env. impact for the whole of life of a typical house design

• Five construction systems over three climates• Test Australian forest and wood products Life Cycle Inventory

(LCI) data collected by CSIRO • Highlight gaps in information and areas for improvement• Incorporate and inform the development of standard

methodologies for LCI and LCA for all building materials• Produce a credible LCA reference for use by the wood building

products industry


FWPA RMIT LCA: Methodology

House Construction methodVolume of wood (m3)

Sawn timberParticleboard

flooring

IInsulated steel frame, brick clad, suspended steel & particleboard floor

0.6 3.0

II Insulated steel frame, brick clad, concrete slab 0.6 0

III Insulated timber frame, brick clad, concrete slab 8.7 0

IVInsulated timber frame, brick clad, suspended timber & particleboard floor

11.0 3.0

VInsulated timber frame, timber clad, suspended timber & particleboard floor

13.7 3.0


FWPA RMIT LCA: Methodology

• Functional unit – 1m2 per year• 50 year life (standard)• Excluded non-heating/cooling energy

consumption• Reviewed by other building materials

representatives and housing industry


FWPA RMIT LCA: House Plan


FWPA RMIT LCA: Key results

• Materials matter!I

- M

elb

II -

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III

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IV -

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lb

V -

Me

lb

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II -

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yd

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V -

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24% 23% 20% 19%14%

45% 44% 40% 38%30%

43% 41% 37% 35%27%

76% 77% 80% 81%86%

55% 56% 60% 62%70%

57% 59% 63% 65%73%

Embodied in Construction/Materials Operation (5-star heating and cooling)


Think Brick LCA: Key results


FWPA RMIT LCA: Key Results

• Whole of Life Carbon Footprint- 5 star

Insulated steel frame, brick clad, suspended

steel

Insulated steel frame, brick clad and concrete

slab

Insulated timber frame, brick clad and concrete

slab

Insulated timber frame, brick clad, suspended

timber

Insulated timber frame, timber clad, suspended

timber

Melb 137.088000000001 137.088000000001 131.04 127.008 120.96

Sydney 73.584 72.576 66.528 63.504 56.448

Brisbane 78.624 77.616 71.568 68.544 61.488

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70

90

110

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• Carbon footprint reductions using timber



• Substituting steel framing with timber ↓10 tCO2e

• Substituting brick cladding with timber↓7 tCO2e

• Substituting concrete slab with timber ↓3 tCO2e



• Avoided GHG emissions using timber equivalent to up to 8-26 years of GHG emissions from heating/cooling

City Thermal comfort performance

5-star 6-starMelbourne 8 11Brisbane 19 20Sydney 21 26


FWPA LCA: Key results

• Water:– Timber houses “use” more water– Water used in LCI forest in LCI – Water use is not differentiated based on affect

• Land Use– Timber houses “use” more land– Land use not differentiated based on affect


FWPA LCA: Key results

• Resource Depletion (non-renewable minerals and fossil fuels)– Timber framed houses up to 16% reduction

compared to steel– Weatherboard up to 12% reduction compared to

brick• Photochemical oxidation (smog)

– Timber framed houses 10-29% lower emissions compared to steel


FWPA LCA: Conclusions

• Substituting timber for steel, concrete, brick can reduce global warming

• Work needed on characterising water and land use for Australian conditions

• Affects from non-timber materials in a timber house can dominate

• End-of-life assumptions are criticalProject: Trojan House

Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows ArchitectsEngineer: Adams Consulting Engineers

Location: Hawthorn, VictoriaImage: John Clements


Australian Use of LCA: DEH

• Scoping Study to Investigate Measures to Improve Environmental Sustainability of Building Materials

• Australian Department of Environment and Heritage

• Global Warming Potential (GWP) of building materials projected to increase by 40% by 2055



Global warming potential – by material



Flooring

External walls

Windows

Framing

Structural steel

Global warming potential – by application


Australian Use of LCA: Windows

• Window size is the most dominant factor influencing environmental impact

• Frames about third largest factor• Overall aluminium skinned timber framed

windows performed best• Followed by hardwood, PVC then aluminium• Impact of manufacturing energy as a

proportion of total life cycle impact much higher than European studies

Source: Howard, N. et al (2007) Comparative service life of window systems. Available at http://www.fwpa.com.au/Resources/RD/Reports/PR07.1047%20Final%20Report%20WEB.pdf?c=2

http://www.fwpa.com.au/Resources/RD/Reports/PR07.1047%20Final%20Report%20WEB.pdf?c=2

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nbswindows.co.uk/NBSWeb/DSCF0062.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nbswindows.co.uk/&h=400&w=300&sz=178&hl=en&start=10&usg=__lDjpJa-SomUwDlT-chbWPNnIM0U=&tbnid=oeFhtIwiQrwPyM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images?q=window+timber&gbv=2&hl=en


Australian Use of LCA: Windows

• Aluminium/wood composite window frame performed best

• Aluminium on outside meant no maintenance

• Wood provides thermal break

Image courtesy of JELD_WEN Australia


Where is the field likely to go from here?

• EPDs – Environmental Product Declarations– ISO 21930

• Ecolabels:– GECA /Green Tag

– New ecolabels / ratings tools– Note - winners and losers

• Carbon footprinting• Water footprinting

Project: Wave DecksArchitect: Spadina, Rees and Simcoe

Location: Toronto, Canada

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Iron and steel

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Cement

2000 3.8%

2010 5.0%

32% growth!


Learn more about wood at UTAS

Centre for Sustainable Architecture with WoodGraduate Certificate in Timber (Processing & Building)• 4 units, part time, onlineAreas covered include:• Wood science• Design for durability and service for life• Timber as a renewable resource• Sustainable design and construction• Engineered wood products• International technologies and developments• Plus, selected topics of individual interestMore information: Associate Professor Greg Nolan (03) 6324 4478 or [email protected]


More Information

Education

Wood and Sustainable Building - Lunch & Learn