Clash of the green giants

Our newest committee member, Sean Augustino, wanted to share a Portland Tribune article about the battle between LEED and Green Globes:

Clash of the green giants

Only a handful of local buildings have used Green Building Initiative’s rival Green Globes rating system, Rekow concedes, because “this has been a very LEED-centric city.” But the number of Green Globes-certified building projects around the country doubled in the past two years, she says, and now totals 850.

LEED, by contrast, has been used in more than 55,000 projects around the world.

But Green Globes could take a leap forward after a recent review by the U.S. General Services Administration elevated it to near-equal status with LEED, which had been the exclusive green-rating system used for federal building projects.

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/198549-clash-of-the-green-giants
Thanks, Sean!

November-December Committee Meeting

Our meeting will continue our series on the sustainability of cross-laminated timber and wood design. We will feature Myer Harrell and Kirsten Clemens from Weber Thompson to discuss the architectural considerations for CLT. We will also recap the TallWood presentation by Michael Green.

Since our usual meeting time of the 4th Wednesday of the month conflicts with Thanksgiving this month, we are moving to December 4th. This will be our last meeting this year. Let me know if you would be willing to host meetings at your office in the new year.

We have the availability for web and audio conference at the meeting, so let me know if you need to connect. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Happy Hour for SEFW Fall Forum on Tall Wood

If you haven't read your newest SEAW Equilibrium, This Thursday is the Structural Engineers Foundation Fall Forum.  The presentation is "Tall Wood: How Timber Suddenly Decided to Grow Up." The presenters are architect, Michael Green, and structural engineer, Erik Karsh. Both are leading the international movement for expanded use of heavy timber from nearby Vancouver, British Columbia.

As Michael calls it “the most technologically advanced material grown by the sun,” wood has earned its place alongside steel and concrete in the construction of large institutional and commercial projects such as international airports, municipal halls, university buildings
and yes, high-rises. Wood has gone high tech, and if you are in the building business, you should know about it.

The presentation starts at 6:00pm, this Thursday, November 21 at Benaroya Hall. Admission is free, but registration is required through SEAW.  

One of the reasons wood is gaining attention is its sustainability, made by solar power and absorbing carbon dioxide in the process. The sustainability committee of SEAW has been hosting a series of presentations on sustainability of wood, and this is another opportunity to discuss the topic.

As a primer for the presentation, meet members of the SEAW sustainability committee for happy hour at the Triple Door (next to Benaroya) before the lecture starting at 4:30PM. 

And join us at our next meeting, noon on December 4th at KPFF, to hear more about the state of the art of sustainable wood construction, where architects Myer Harrell and Kirsten Clemens ‎of Weber Thompson will talk about their design to push the height limit of wood buildings in Seattle.‎

Seattle DPD: Cross-Laminated Timber

Here's an update on the City of Seattle's Code Advisory Committee's study of using cross-laminated timber in buildings taller than currently allowed by code:

In the May meeting, we discussed reconvening in November in order to review the newest information made available through resources such as the Canadian Tall Wood Handbook and the NFPA Arup paper. 

We have since become aware that a stakeholder group is meeting to view the presentation on the NSF/NEES Seismically Resilient Tall Wood Building Grant in January. Because seismic information is pertinent to this discussion and evaluation, it has been suggested we shift our November meeting to January so the groups can merge to participate in both the NSF/NEES and NFPA presentations.  At that time we can also discuss general updates, The Canadian Tall Wood handbook, and share any contacts made since May involving projects where CLT buildings have been allowed by the local jurisdiction.

Our meeting will be either the 3^rd or 4^th week in January. 

Contact Kathleen Petrie if you are interested in attending the meetings or receiveing meeting minutes.

Generic EPDs for wood

The American Wood Council, in coordination with the Canadian Wood Council, has produced a series of generic EPDs for a variety of commonly-used wood products. These EPDs can be used to aid in a whole-building LCA or to count towards the EPD-related credit in the upcoming LEED v4.

Find more at: http://www.awc.org/greenbuilding/epd.html​

Volunteer on USGBC Green Apple Day

The local section of ASCE is continuing their efforts to improve local schools in support of Green Apple Day.  Please join them if you are interested by e-mailing the contact below.

Green Apply Day Rain Barrel Activity with Boys and Girls Club
Friday, September 27^th, 3:30pm @ The Boys and Girls Club of Renton

Please join the ASCE Sustainability Committee for our 2^nd annual Green Apple Day at the Boys & Girls Club of Renton!  Volunteers are needed to help teach elementary students about sustainability while building rain barrels for Green Apple Day.  Green Apple Day is a global movement to put all children in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breathe, where energy and resources are conserved, and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. 

If you can’t make it on September 27^th,  but would like to help. We need volunteers to prepare stencils for the kids to use to paint on the barrels as well as put together a poster educating the kids on the rain collection process. Your creative ideas and artistic ability would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions or to volunteer for the event, please contact Bethy Clark at Elizabeth.clark@hdrinc.com.

The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is hosting the second annual Green Apple Day of Service. On one day, advocates around the world, including students, teachers, parents, elected officials and more, will come together in support of healthy, sustainable schools by participating in local service projects.

Reuse of Existing Buildings

Although it can be frustrating, many seemingly clear-cut questions in the sustainability world end up being answered "it depends."

One example of this is the classic concrete vs steel question covered in the SEI Sustainability Committee's excellent FAQ: Which is better, concrete or steel?

Another example is the reuse of existing buildings. Studies have shown that reusing existing buildings can be an excellent way to reduce energy usage since there is no need to replicate the energy expenditure that is already embodied in the existing structure. However, a recent study in New York found that this isn't always the case -- at least for the specific midcentury skyscrapers considered, and for the specific replacement considered.

The study found that the reduced energy usage of a new building would make up for the embodied energy expenditure in 15-30 years, well within the design lifespan. The reduction in energy use is from designing for very high operational energy efficiency, but also from providing a larger structure with more floor area. The larger floor area means that the site can have more occupants than the existing structure.

A key factor in this part of the energy calculation is the consideration of the city as a whole as the unit for analysis. If the analysis only considered the difference in energy use between the new building and the existing building, the calculated energy payback period would be over 100 years. By assuming that all of the new tenants are relocating from buildings that have a similar energy performance to the original building, the savings are amplified and the payback period is reduced significantly.

What does this have to do with structural engineering? One issue raised by the study authors (in this reporting about the study) is that the existing buildings do not have enough capacity to support heavier facade loads from double-glazing or other systems. Keeping future flexibility in mind when designing the structural system allows for these types of retrofits to occur in the future. The potential need for extra capacity must be weighed against material efficiency in the present, so there is plenty of room for engineering judgement.