Selecting Green Building Materials and Products
Presented by Lynn N. Simon, AIA
Simon & Associates, Inc. • Green Building Consultants
Lynn@greenbuild.com www.greenbuild.com

Slide 2


  Green Building
Planning Sustainable Sites
Safeguarding Water
Improving Energy Efficiency
Enhancing Indoor Environmental Quality
Conserving Materials and Resources

Opportunities
Healthier indoor environments resulting in satisfied clients and tenants
Improved productivity and performance, reduced health complaints/liability
Resource and energy conservation, reduced emissions, reduced solid waste
Reduced operating and maintenance costs
Increased value/marketability of projects
Increased knowledge base

Obstacles
Resistance to try new products; concern about unproven performance/durability
Lack of knowledge about available products and how to include them in specifications
Greenwashing: False marketing claims
Code and warranty constraints
Higher initial cost (perceived or real)
Perception of aesthetic sacrifice
Availability / supply / lead time
Life-cycle assessment/data limitations: difficult to measure, weigh & compare impacts and trade-offs

A Shifting Marketplace
Drivers:
LEED adoption by government agencies: San Mateo County, San Francisco (near adoption), Pleasanton, San Jose, Oakland requiring LEED on key buildings, State of California LEED Supplement
Energy crisis
Mold liability concerns
Education, public awareness, market demand
Result is that there are better practices, more and better materials available


 Materials and Systems Trends
Residential (and small scale commercial)
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs)
Radiant Floors (heating and cooling)
Strawbale
Commercial
Raised Floor
Cool Roofs
Waterless Urinals
Green Roofs


 EBN Top 10 Products, 2003
BioBase 501 soy-based foam insulation, BioBased Systems, Inc.
American Pride latex paint, Southern Diversified Products
Case Systems, Inc. laboratory casework w/ Woodstalk Dow Bio Products wheatboard
EcoPower faucets, TOTO USA
Hot Water D’MAND system, Taco, Inc.


 EBN Top 10 Products, 2003
Mineral silicate paints, Keim Mineral Systems
EnvironOxide pigment, Hoover color Corp/Iron Oxide Recovery
EnviroGT wall and corner guards, InPro Corp.
MemBrain “smart” vapor retarder, Certainteed/Saint Gobain
Mirra office chair, Herman Miller

Green Materials Selection Criteria
Resource Efficiency
Natural Resources and Solid Waste (e.g. durable, salvaged, recycled content, sustainably harvested, rapidly renewable)
Energy (e.g. high efficient appliances, sensors, transportation efficiency, efficient manufacturing process)
Water (e.g. waterless urinals, sensors, efficient manufacturing process
Health
Occupant and Installer Health (e.g. low-VOC, formaldehyde free, air filters)
Public and Environmental Health (e.g. clean inputs, by products and emissions, free of  toxic and heavy metals, PVC-free)


Greening the Specifications


Greening the Specifications

Slide 13

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

LEED-NC Market Transformation

LEED-NC Market Transformation

Slide 17

"Energy Resource Center"
Energy Resource Center, Downey (v1Certified)
Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara (v1 Platinum)
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park (v2 Gold)
Capitol Area East End Complex, Building 225, Sacramento (v2 Gold)
Toyota Motor Sales South Campus Office Development, Torrance (v2 Gold)
Ford Motor Company Premier Automotive Group, North American Headquarters, Irvine (v2 Certified)

"Audubon Center at Debs Park"
Audubon Center at Debs Park, E. Los Angeles
(v2 Platinum)
Capitol Area East End Complex, Blocks 171-174, Sacramento (v2 Certified)
DPR-ABD Office Building, Sacramento (v2 Silver)
Hayward Lumber Building Systems Plant, Santa Maria (v2 Gold)
West Valley Branch Library, San Jose (v2 Certified)
Applied Biosystems Building D, Pleasanton (v2 Silver)
Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Administration HQ, Chino (v2 Platinum)

Slide 20

Slide 21

Slide 22

Slide 23

Slide 24

Common Materials Available with Recycled Content

Slide 26

Slide 27

Slide 28

Slide 29

Slide 30

Slide 31

"linoleum"
linoleum

Slide 33

Slide 34

"FSC-certified glulams"
FSC-certified glulams

Slide 36

Slide 37

Slide 38

Slide 39

Slide 40

Slide 41

Slide 42


Green Product Certifiers


Green Building Resources

"A sustainable California supports and..."
A sustainable California supports and improves the quality of life of all its residents and recognizes the interdependence of its people, culture, economy, and urbanized and natural environments.  More importantly, it is a community that knows itself, demands the utmost of itself and understands what it has to lose.
- Blueprint for a Sustainable Bay Area, Urban Ecology