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Definition
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System
consensus based building rating system designed to accelerate the development and implementation of green building practices
developed by USGBC - national coalition of leaders from all aspects of the building industry
adopted in US and Canada |
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| LEED certification levels |
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Definition
certified
silver
gold
platinum |
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Definition
Building Research Establishment
British organization that provides research-based consultancy, testing, and certification services
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) method of reviewing, given a rating of pass, good, very good, or excellent |
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Term
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Definition
1. Green Seal - non profit org that promotes environmentally responsible production, purchasing, and products
- develops standards for products in specific categories and certifies products that meet those standards.
-meets the criteria of ISO 14020 and 14024 for ecolabeling
- evaluate based on life cycle approach, awarded to products that have less impact and work well |
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Term
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Definition
non profit, industry independent
-tests indoor products for emissions for VOC, formaldehyde, aldehydes, respirable particles, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide
-maintains a registry that passing products are added to
-products include building materials, furnishings, cleaning and maintenance products, electronic equipment, personal care products |
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Term
| scientific certification systems (SCS) |
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Definition
private oranganization est. to advance public and private sectors toward environmentally sustainable policies
-certifies specific product attributes such as biodegradability, recycled content
-certifies environmentally preferred products (carpet, nonwoven flooring, composite panel products, adhesives, furniture, paints, and wallcovering, and well managed forests) |
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Definition
non-governmental org. with national standards bodies from over 120 countries
ISO 14000 is a collection of standards and guidelines that cover performance, product standards, labeling, environmental management, and life-cycle assessment
"governs" labeling of products and requires that an organization conduct scientific evaluations with internationally accepted methodology, use life cycle approach, and not have any financial interest in the products it certifies |
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Term
| life cycle assessment (LCA) 4 phases |
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Definition
1. determine purpose and goals of doing the study
2. inventory analysis of all inputs and outputs of the product (Energy, processing,etc.) this is the most difficult phase
3. impact assessment phase - characterize the effects of the processes found in the inventory on the environment
4. improvement analysis |
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Term
| 4 stages of product life cycle |
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Definition
1. raw material acquisition
-acquisition, processing of raw materials, and transportation
2. manufacturing
-conversion of raw materials, packaging, transportation
3. use and maintenance
-installation, long term use, maintenance and repair
4. disposal
-demolition, conversion of the waste into other useful products, waste disposal, reuse or recycling if not converted. |
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Term
| evaulating life cycle during inventory analysis |
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Definition
energy/water & raw materials needed to process materials
atmoshperic emissions, solid wastes, waterborne wastes, product transportation and co products |
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Term
| criteria for evaluating building materials |
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Definition
*emboddied energy - low energy req for extraction, processing, and transportation and generate little waste or pollution
*renewable materials - harvest cycle of 10 years or less, 5% of project gets you credit
*recycled content - post consumer, post industrial, recovered materials. more recycled content = less raw material
*energy efficiency
*use of local materials - earns 20% credit, extra credit if more than 10% is local
*durability-last longer, lower maintenance
*low VOC
*low toxicity
*moisture problems - avoid
*water conservation - reduce in building and landscaping
*maintainability - cleaned with low voc
*potential for reuse/recycle
*reusability - salvage material |
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Term
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Definition
process produces high levels of pollution and byproducts
-alternatives include powder coating & plastic polymer coating
-finishes should be removed prior to recycling |
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Term
| 3 sustainable strategies for wood |
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Definition
1. reclaimed wood
2. sustainable or alternative materials - mdf (formaldehyde free)
*with urethane adhesive which have a formaldehyde level below 0.05ppm cut off)
*composite wood veneers
3. certified wood products - FSC (forest stewardship council) accredits groups |
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Term
| 3 accredited groups of the FSC |
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Definition
Smartwood Program of the Rainforest Alliance
Forest Conservation Program of Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
SGS's Systems and Services Certification |
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Term
| 10 principles to evaluate organizations for accreditation |
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Definition
1. forest management practices respect country laws and comply with FSC principles & criteria
2. long term tenure and use rights of the land must be defined and legally established
3. rights of indigenouse peoples to own, use and manage their land must be recognized
4. practices must maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well being of workers and community
5. encourage the efficient use of the forest's products to ensure economic viability
6. coserve biological diversity (water, soil, ecosystems)
7. write, implement, and maintain a management plan
8. continuous monitoring must be conducted to assess the condition of the forest
9. maintain or enhance the attributes of high-conservation value forests
10. plantations should complement the management of, reduce pressures on, and promote restoration of natural forests, and adhere to the first 9 of these principles |
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Term
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Definition
identify for recycling, if possible, compostable plastics should be specified
2 new types:
bio-plastic - made from corn and currently used in carpet
metallocene polyolefin - can be used as alternative to pvc |
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Term
| three types of low or zero voc adhesives |
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Definition
1. dry adhesive that contain resins contained in capsules that are released by pressure
2. water based adhesive
3. natural adhesive
*to get LEED credit, must be less than level defined by California South Coast Air Quality Management District Rule 1168 |
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Term
*don't need to know for test*
Architectural Applications Current VOC
Limit |
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Definition
Indoor Carpet Adhesives 50
Carpet Pad Adhesives 50
Outdoor Carpet Adhesives 150
Wood Flooring Adhesive 100
Rubber Floor Adhesives 60
Subfloor Adhesives 50
Ceramic Tile Adhesives 65
VCT and Asphalt Tile Adhesives 50
Dry Wall and Panel Adhesives 50
Cove Base Adhesives 50
Multipurpose Construction Adhesives 70
Structural Glazing Adhesives 100
Single Ply Roof Membrane Adhesives 250 |
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Term
| carpet - 3 considerations for sustainability |
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Definition
1. raw material use
*polyester & nylon blended from PET (recycled soda containers), recycled cushion includes rubber tire, textile mill waste)
2. raw material disposal
nylon 6 can be recycled easily, carpet tiles more sustainable
3. indoor air quality
avoid latex bonding, look for CRI's "green label", run ventilation system at max capacity for 48-72 hours after install |
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Term
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Definition
made of highly refined petrochemicals, contains a large percentage of pvc which causes environmental problems in manufacture and disposal because of high concentration of chloride.
some is made from recycled pvc, or without chloride. |
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Term
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Definition
available from recycled tires
binders give off indoor pollutants |
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Term
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Definition
| best choice when used with low voc adhesives, renewable, durable, biodegradable, antibacterial, and does not produce static electricity |
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Term
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Definition
renvewable from well managed forests, disadvantage that it must be imported from mediterranean countries - transportation energy
-don't use cork that has urea-formaldehyde binding
-use low voc finish
-excellent absorber of sound |
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Term
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Definition
1. FSC accredited, certified sources for domestic and tropical hardwoods
2. veneered and laminated products using a plywood or mdf core
3. salvaged solid wood flooring
*whenever possible, use prefinished flooring for indoor air quality
*site finishing should use water-dispersed urethanes
*avoid varnishes and hardening oils on site |
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Term
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Definition
mature in 3-4 years
almost as hard and 2x as stable as red oak or maple, sold in tounge and groove prefinished strips |
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Term
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Definition
considered sustainable even though high embodied energy is required to produce it and high transportation costs
uses readily available natural resources
produces practically no harmful emissions
requires little maintenance
*avoid epoxy grout and sealers that cotain voc's |
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Term
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Definition
100% recycled content used in paper face
some recycled newspaper mixed with gypsum content in core
7% of gyp board core is synthetic, which is identical chemically but is a byproduct of manufacturing processes - most from power plant stack cleaning
-cannot be reused, but some companies are recycling, but has to clean of nails, wallcovering, etc. - currently cost is a disincentive |
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Term
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Definition
EPA has set forth voc limits
-flat paint cannot exceed 250g/L
-non flat paint cannot exceed 380g/L
california has stricter standards (100g/L)
green seal standards are stricter (50 for flat paint) |
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Term
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Definition
act that uses recycled content from old tiles,newsprint, or perlite is available (up to 95%)
fiberglass ceiling panels with recycled content are available
old tile can be repainted
one manufacturer allows customers to ship old tiles to their plant if the manufacturer's tile will be used to replace
*cost to recycle typically less than the cost to ship to landfill
*grid can be recycled as scrap steel |
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Term
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Definition
-use refurbished or used furniture
-use furniture made from steel, solid wood and glass - readily recylable
-spec that the furniture be made from certified wood
-spec that the furniture be fabricated with formaldhyde free MDF
-fabric that uses recycled PET fibers
-biodegradeable and non-toxic dyes
-chemical free organic cottons or natural materials
-low voc finishes
-powder coatings instead of standard paint
-CO2 injected foam or other environmentally friendly foam |
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Term
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Definition
for LEED certification, this is important part of the process.
a commissioning team must be used and cannot include individuals directly responsible for the project design or construction management |
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Term
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Definition
conform to ASHRAE or local energy code, whichever is more stringent
-mandatory requirement for LEED certification, if further reduced, you can receive credit
*do not use any CFC based refrigerants
*use displacement ventilation where possible - supply originates at floor level and returns in ceiling - does not have to be cooled as much and good for removing heat from ceiling fixtures, allows for personal control |
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Term
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Definition
-utilize daylight
-automatic occupancy sensors in spaces not regularly occupied
-non-emergency lighting on timers for non-business hours with manual override
-daylight responsive controls
-high reflective finishes
-energy efficient appliances & equipment
-submetering equipment |
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Term
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Definition
| -low flow fixtures - 50% of fixtures use 20% less water AFTER meeting fixture performance requirements |
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Term
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Definition
| maintaining health, affects peoples sense of well-being, affects absenteeism, productivity, creativity, and motivation |
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Term
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Definition
*VOC - carbon & hydrogen that vaporize at room temperature
*Formaldehyde - colorless gas with pungent odor - probably carcinogen found in resins and adhesives
*biological contaminants - mold/mildew, mites, pollen, insects, animal dander - prevent and control moisture |
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