Benchmarking and Specification of Sustainable Building Products

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ENVIROSPEC is the environmental division of
ELECTONIC BLUEPRINT.
Benchmarking and Specification of Sustainable
Building Products
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing
..there is a real danger that the ecolabels may
fail to provide enough precise data on the
in-service performance for each product, under a
range of applications and climates..   If
unchecked, this could lead to poor
decision-making and the selection of products,
which appear to be environmentally friendly, but
are, in fact, inappropriate for the actual
application. .   From Benchmarking and
Specification of Sustainable Building Products,
Johnston, R, Gogstad, P, Woolcock, J, UAE,
2009.  
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing
..there is a real danger that the ecolabels may
fail to provide enough precise data on the
in-service performance for each product, under a
range of applications and climates..   If
unchecked, this could lead to poor
decision-making and the selection of products,
which appear to be environmentally friendly, but
are, in fact, inappropriate for the actual
application. .   From Benchmarking and
Specification of Sustainable Building Products,
Johnston, R, Gogstad, P, Woolcock, J, UAE,
2009.   The ENVIROSPEC Protocol sets guidelines
for Benchmarking and Life Cycle Assessment,
accounting for both in-service and embodied
properties.
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing
Consider single-glazed and double-glazed windows.
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider single-glazed and doubleglazed windows.
• The embodied energy of a double-glazed window is
  approximately twice that of a single-glazed
  window.
• However, the in-service thermal performance of
  double-glazing is often far superior to that of
  single-glazing but not in all climates, all
  comfort level regimes or in all common
  combinations of free-running and air
  conditioning.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider single-glazed and doubleglazed windows.
• The embodied energy of a double-glazed window is
  approximately twice that of a single-glazed
  window.
• However, the in-service thermal performance of
  double-glazing is often far superior to that of
  single-glazing but not in all climates, all
  comfort level regimes or in all common
  combinations of free-running and air
  conditioning.
• The Dilemma
• When a specification is written for windows,
  which is the most sustainable - single glazing or
  double glazing?
• Should double-glazing and single-glazing be
  grouped together in common specifications or
  separated by application?
• This very complicated dichotomy must be given
  prominence in any ecolabelling scheme.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing
Consider shower heads.
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider shower heads.
• Most regulators and designers agree with the
  selection of
• water-efficient shower heads.
• However, shower heads could be used in a region
  of
• High rainfall area, serviced by an efficient
  hydro-electric supply or
• Low rainfall area, serviced by energy generated
  by burning hydrocarbons.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider shower heads.
• Most regulators and designers agree with the
  selection of
• water-efficient shower heads.
• However, shower heads could be used in a region
  of
• High rainfall area, serviced by an efficient
  hydro-electric supply or
• Low rainfall area, serviced by energy generated
  by burning hydrocarbons.
• We need to be clear, when framing regulations,
  what we are tying to achieve
• Saving water
• Saving energy
• Saving greenhouse gas emissions.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing
Consider masonry walls.
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider masonry walls.
• In winter, heat trying to pass through a wall of
  high thermal mass will become trapped in the
  wall, and part will slowly pass back into the
  room.
• In summer the reverse occurs. Heat trying to pass
  through a wall of high-thermal mass from the
  outside will become trapped and part will slowly
  pass back out of the building.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider masonry walls.
• In winter, heat trying to pass through a wall of
  high thermal mass will become trapped in the
  wall, and part will slowly pass back into the
  room.
• In summer the reverse occurs. Heat trying to pass
  through a wall of high-thermal mass from the
  outside will become trapped and part will slowly
  pass back out of the building.
• However, this phenomenon is only significant in
  relatively benign climates, where the ambient
  temperature crosses the comfort level .

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Consider masonry walls.
• In winter, heat trying to pass through a wall of
  high thermal mass will become trapped in the
  wall, and part will slowly pass back into the
  room.
• In summer the reverse occurs. Heat trying to pass
  through a wall of high-thermal mass from the
  outside will become trapped and part will slowly
  pass back out of the building.
• However, this phenomenon is only significant in
  relatively benign climates, where the ambient
  temperature crosses the comfort level .
• How should marketers and specifiers account for
  thermal mass in
• Benign climates ?
• Severe climates ?

c
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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Sustainability can only properly be assessed by
  considering
• Embodied characteristics (energy, green-house
  gas, water, toxicity)
• and
• In service performance, which is affected by
• The climate where the product is to be installed
• The building application.

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The Dilemma of Green Marketing

• Sustainability can only properly be assessed by
  considering
• Embodied characteristics (energy, green-house
  gas, water, toxicity)
• and
• In service performance, which is affected by
• The climate where the product is to be installed
• The building application.
• The art of green marketing is to
• Honestly identify sustainable products
• Clearly quantify and benchmark the contribution
  to sustainability
• Distribute technical data to Architects,
  Engineers and Builders.

c
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Environmental Benchmarking
Environmental Benchmarking is the comparison of
a products life-cycle analysis and other
environmental data to those of the most common
acceptable alternative, benchmark construction.
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Environmental Benchmarking
Environmental Benchmarking is the comparison of
a products life-cycle analysis and other
environmental data to those of the most common
acceptable alternative, benchmark construction.

• The logical benchmarks are those forms of
  construction which are both
• the most economical and
• in compliance with the current building
  regulations.
• ..... in other words, the construction most
  likely to be built, if sustainability criteria
  were not applied.

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Environmental Benchmarking
Environmental Benchmarking is the comparison of
a products life-cycle analysis and other
environmental data to those of the most common
acceptable alternative, benchmark construction.

• The logical benchmarks are those forms of
  construction which are both
• the most economical and
• in compliance with the current building
  regulations.
• ..... in other words, the construction most
  likely to be built, if sustainability criteria
  were not applied.

Any improvement over benchmark construction
may be considered as a step towards
sustainability.
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Environmental Benchmarking Example - Energy

• Performance may be demonstrated by the following
  example
•  
• Calculate the embodied energy of the Product
  throughout its life-cycle, Epe.
• Calculate the operational energy consumption of
  the building, incorporating the Product,
  throughout its life-cycle, Epo.
• 3. Calculate the embodied energy of the
  Benchmark Construction (that the Product is
  intended to replace) throughout its life-cycle,
  Ebe.
•  
• 4. Calculate the operational energy consumption
  of the building, incorporating Benchmark
  Construction, throughout its life-cycle, Ebo.
•  
• 5. Determine the net increase or decrease in
  total energy use if the Product is used in lieu
  of Benchmark Construction, from the following.
•  
• Net Energy Total energy for Product Total
  energy for Benchmark Construction
• ( EpeN EpoN) ( EbeN EboN)
•  
• 6. Report the Net Energy (increase or decrease),
  together with full calculations.

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ENVIROSPEC
LCI/LCA - Currently various organizations are
collecting data for the creation of a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) databases.
LCI/LCA Data Base
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ENVIROSPEC
LCI/LCA - Currently various organizations are
collecting data for the creation of a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) databases. Design Process -
This data will be used to populate design
software, enabling designers to minimise
environmental impacts.
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ENVIROSPEC
LCI/LCA - Currently various organizations are
collecting data for the creation of a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) databases. Design Process -
This data will be used to populate design
software, enabling designers to minimise
environmental impacts. Building Product
Ecolabels may be prepared using the LCI data
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ENVIROSPEC
LCI/LCA - Currently various organizations are
collecting data for the creation of a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) databases. Design Process -
This data will be used to populate design
software, enabling designers to minimise
environmental impacts. Building Product
Ecolabels may be prepared using the LCI data -
BUT, as noted previously, Ecolabels may be too
limited to provide comprehensive design
information for each conceivable application.
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ENVIROSPEC
LCI/LCA - Currently various organizations are
collecting data for the creation of a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) databases. Design Process -
This data will be used to populate design
software, enabling designers to minimise
environmental impacts. Building Product
Ecolabels may be prepared using the LCI data -
BUT, as noted previously, Ecolabels may be too
limited to provide comprehensive design
information for each conceivable application.

• ENVIROSPEC presents building product
  specifications
• in a technically credible format
• geared specifically for use by designers
• tailored for marketing innovative building
  products
• using LCA techniques
• benchmarked for particular applications.

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Case Study - Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island
Accommodation

• Project
• In 2008, House Energy Rating was commissioned to
  assess the energy efficiency and thermal comfort
  of a 20,000 person camp at Saadiyat Island,
  consisting of stackable modular accommodation
  units.
• Conclusions
• The energy use in the buildings is dictated
  principally by the number of occupants,
• It is quite possible to have a potentially very
  energy efficient building with little net energy
  use.
• Performance for this particular development is
  driven by the hot local climate.
• Protecting the sub-floor spaces from external
  conditions resulted in the most significant
  reduction in overall energy use, up to 50
  reduction in overall cooling load.
• Reductions to the external surface absorptance of
  the building, and incorporation of roof design
  features also had a beneficial effect on thermal
  performance.
• House Energy Rating is an Australian based
  sustainability consultant, and a partner of
  Building Product Certification Pty Ltd
• (part of the Electronic Blueprint Group).
• From Benchmarking and Specification of
  Sustainable Building Products, Johnston, R,
  Gogstad, P, Woolcock, J, UAE, 2009

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Benchmarking and Specification of Sustainable
Building Product
..there is a real danger that the ecolabels may
fail to provide enough precise data on the
in-service performance for each product, under a
range of applications and climates..   If
unchecked, this could lead to poor
decision-making and the selection of products,
which appear to be environmentally friendly, but
are, in fact, inappropriate for the actual
application. .   From Benchmarking and
Specification of Sustainable Building Products,
Johnston, R, Gogstad, P, Woolcock, J, UAE,
2009.   The ENVIROSPEC Protocol sets guidelines
for Benchmarking and Life Cycle Assessment,
accounting for both in-service and
embodied properties.
27
For Further Assistance

• Rod Johnston
• Technical
• Electronic Blueprint ENVIROSPEC
• rod_at_electronicblueprint.com.au
• Per Gogstad
• Sales - UAE
• AEC Online ENVIROSPEC
• per_at_aeconline.net