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Sustainable Office Design - Unlocking Performance & Productivity
http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/ A clear guide to several key aspects of sustainable buildings, including a section on building materials.
http://www.corrim.org/reports/ The Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials has some useful fact sheets and reports on product selection, renewable materials (particularly wood or wood-based) and other subjects relevant to construction.
http://transstudio.com/tm/index.htm Transmaterial is a joy to behold, taking you through a range of new materials. Although not specifically 'sustainable' materials, many of them come with environmental features which are briefly outlined. There is also a richly illustrated book of the same name.
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/tools/toolsuite.htm A set of tools on environmentally preferable purchasing, including a database of products and services, a training tool, information on sustainability conferences.
http://www.csbr.umn.edu/materials_database.html A database of sustainable materials provided by the Center for Sustainable Building Research.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/tools_directory/subjects_sub.cfm This is the mother of all tools, providing a directory to hundreds of different tools concerning analysis of building performance, with a section dedicated to materials and components.
http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/bees.html Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) is a tool that helps assess about 200 building products, both generic and branded.
http://www.environmentalchoice.com/English/ECP%20Home/ The EcoLogo of the Canadian government, this site allows you to assess a wide range of building materials and products, including flooring, heating and cooling, paints and finishes and raw materials.
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/ An excellent on-line resource for specifying more sustainable materials and products.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/ The Waste & Resources Action Programme, funded by government, aims to create markets for recycled materials. In 2005 it began a programme focused specifically on the collection and reprocessing of plasterboard.
http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/resources/278006/?version=1&lang=_e Access to the government's Pollution Prevention Guidelines, including chemicals, construction, forestry, and wood products.
http://www.sust.org/directory/ A directory of sustainable building materials that are indigenous to Scotland.
http://www.bc.bangor.ac.uk/ Website of the Biocomposites Centre which develops plant-based composite materials for industrial use, including a project looking at plant-based MDF. They have a newsletter to which you can sign up.
http://www.ecocomposite.org/ Another organisation looking at the development of more sustainable composites, it includes a reading list.
http://www.natural-building.co.uk The Natural Building Technologies website has a section on boards, plaster and render, including avoidance of the 'sick building syndrome' through breathable renders.
http://www.corrim.org/reports/ The Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials has some reports on the life cycle of oriented strandboard, plywood and other related products.
http://www.rebri.org.nz Easy guide to resource recovery: plasterboard is a two pager fact sheet on what to do with waste plasterboard.
http://www.interfaceflooring.com
http://www.interfacesustainability.com
http://www.armstrong.com/
Armstrong Commercial Ceilings is known for a commitment to sustainability in its ceiling products, with an emphasis on recycled content and renewable resources. It also offers flooring.
http://www.plyboo.com/ Plyboo is a product made from a strong, light, fast-growing renewable resource: bamboo. It can be used for flooring (harder than many woods), panels or doors.
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm?fileName=150301a.xml Bamboo in construction: is the grass always greener? is an excellent overview of bamboo as a building material, looking at all aspects of its sustainability performance.
http://www.natural-building.co.uk Paints & Ecology, by Neil May, is a readable, concise article on the ecological effects of paint.
http://www.dtex.com Designtex is one of the main suppliers of fabrics designed for minimal environmental impact. Their Climatex Lifecycle started by designing 'out' as many chemicals as possible to create a fabric that can be composted. Climatex Lifeguard FR has the same mulchable qualities while meeting worldwide fire retardant safety codes. Eco Intelligent Polyester uses environmentally benign materials while Terratex is 100% recycled polyester.
http://www.fsc-uk.org/ The Forest Stewardship Council is the certifier par excellence of sustainable timber.
http://www.woodforgood.com/ Wood for Good also focuses on the sustainability of timber products.
http://www.rebri.org.nz Easy guide to resource recovery: wood is a two pager fact sheet on what to do with waste wood.
http://www.salvomie.co.uk/ Helps you connect with recycled or reclaimed building materials.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/ Waste & Resources Action Programme helps find or create markets for recycled materials of all kinds.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waste/1019330/ Provides general guidance on waste produced by business, particularly if hazardous, including legislation.
By Beatrice K Otto
- SUSTAINABLE OFFICE DESIGN & BUILDINGS
- WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
- WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR?
- AIR
- LIGHT
- ENERGY
- WATER
- MATERIALS
- GOVERNMENT RESPONSES
- OVERVIEW OF SUSTAINABILITY
- WHERE CAN I DIG DEEPER?
- GLOSSARY
MATERIALS
IT'S A MATERIAL WORLD
Making its material footprint smaller, DEFRA's refurbished offices at Nobel House in London recycled about 750 tonnes of material, saving some 3,000 cubic metres of landfill. 70% of the construction waste was recycled or reused, and materials sourced for the fit out were on average 50% recycled. Waste timber was made into chipboard for use in other buildings. 40 tonnes of old carpet tiles were donated to charity for reconditioning and reuse and redundant office equipment and furniture was donated to charity for reuse. Suppliers were asked to deliver products on re-useable pallets. 90% of the timber was certified as sustainable by FSC and PEFC. Sheep's wool was used for insulation because of its biodegradable and non-toxic nature. Combined with natural ventilation and other energy saving measures led to the building winning BREEAM's top rating of Excellent.
DEFRA's approach to refurbishment covers some of the key elements of sourcing materials or products. Similarly, the refurbishment of BP's offices in St. James's Square managed to recycle 85% of its construction waste. Keep in mind:
- Life cycle - has it been designed to be robust, easily maintained or repaired, do its components use renewable, recycled (or recyclable) materials?
- Energy - what is its energy consumption in manufacturing, transport and use?
- Emissions - what is its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint? Does the supplier mitigate their GHG emissions? Does it give off harmful emissions such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
- Water - how much water was used in manufacturing?
- Toxicity - is it safe?
- Weight - could you use a lighter material or one with less volume, reducing transport impacts ?
Ask suppliers some of these questions - even if they can't give perfect answers, just asking the questions will help create a demand and increase awareness of the issues.
Interface is arguably one of the world's most sustainable companies. Their CEO had an epiphany on the road to Damascus, deciding that Interface would strive to be the world's first sustainable company, e.g.:
- Reclamation - the ReEntry(TM) programme reclaims old carpets and has diverted 85 million pounds of materials from landfill in 10 years. The company mines these discards for their raw materials, such as their GlasBac®RE, a backing made from reclaimed and recycled carpet backing.
- Air quality - water based adhesives with very low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions
- Renewables - increasing use of renewable energy for manufacturing, and the use of corn or starch based polymers, so called biopolymers or bioplastics
- Waste - a goal of zero waste
Fun with Factoids
- Bamboo grows in 4-5 years - it is stronger than steel, can have 8m overhangs in buildings, and stores 40 times more carbon than pine.
- Schmidt-Bleek estimates that, on average, industrial products carry an ecological rucksack (the invisible impacts of their production) of about 30 times their own weight.
- Construction produces 19% of the UK's total annual waste (about 90 million tonnes) and 21% of hazardous waste.
- 30 million tonnes of that waste is off-cuts; 9.4 million is temporary works such as site hoardings and formwork; 2.9 million tonnes is simply due to damage.
- Manufacture and distribution of construction materials accounts for about 10% of the UK's CO2 emissions.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
http://www.advancedbuildings.org
This is a superb source of briefings on a range of sustainable building topics including materials, finishes and furnishings. A great place to start learning.
FURNITURE
DURABLE & DATELESS
Many of the things to look out for in materials apply to furniture. In addition, consider:
- Life cycle - has it been designed to be robust, easily maintained or repaired, using renewable, recycled (or recyclable) materials; Can it be refurbished to extend its useful life?
- Desirability - will its design endure in both aesthetics and functionality?
- Modularity - can it be reconfigured if you reorganise the office? Flexibility in office configuration can avoid regular refits.
- Energy - what is its energy consumption in manufacturing and transport?
- Emissions - what is its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint? Does the manufacturer mitigate GHG emissions? Do components have harmful emissions such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
- Water - how much water was used in manufacturing?
There are several well known office furniture designers and manufacturers with impressive sustainability track records on design, process, maintenance and service, and recycling or refurbishment.
Deutsche Bank's refitted offices in Appold Street, London, used furniture from elsewhere in their estate. DEFRA's Nobel House refurbishment donated any redundant furniture to a charity for redistribution.
Herman Miller's mission is to 'contribute to a better world by pursuing sustainability and environmental wisdom'. They do this AND win awards for the beauty and ergonomics of their designs. Their Perfect Vision targets the year 2020 for zero landfill and hazardous waste. They provide quite detailed life cycle descriptions of their products, covering issues such as:
- durability and ease of maintenance, repair or disassembly
- recycled or recyclable materials
- low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting paints and finishes
- returnable or recyclable packaging
- manufacturing processes, including air, water, energy use and emissions, waste, health and safety
- contribution to LEED accreditation
Herman Miller's Aeron chair has a breathable membrane which helps to keep the body at ambient temperature. Normal foam and fabric backing will increase body temperature and so the need for cooling. It's also 94% recyclable and comprises 66% recycled materials.
Steelcase uses recycled materials where possible, and avoids hazardous materials such as PVC, chrome, mercury, lead, or flame-retardants. They also simplify designs to reduce the number and weight of components. Their plastics are marked for recycling, and they provide environmental performance statements for products.
Steelcase's Please chair has 30% fewer components than its pre-2004 model. It has also been improved by 16% due to reduced weight and packaging. It can be upgraded and adapted since the fabrics, headrests and armrests can be added or removed. And it's easy to maintain.
Wilkhahn is also committed to making its products and processes sustainable. Water-based systems for lacquering wooden surfaces has led to a 90% reduction in solvent use and emissions have been reduced by 21% through 'spot gluing' upholstery.
Materials include biopolymers and lightweight sandwich boards, such as paper honeycomb from recycled paper. And like Herman Miller, they design for durability in aesthetics as much as in functionality - their furniture will look good, and not 'dated', even after 10 years or more.
Fun with Factoids
- Zody (Haworth) has won the Cradle to Cradle Gold award for its use of recyclable or mulchable fabrics and components, being 98% recyclable.
- Caper (Herman Miller) is almost 100% recyclable and has 21% recycled materials. It's easy to assemble and to take apart for recycling.
- Think (Steelcase) has 44% recycled materials and is 99% recyclable, taking about 5 minutes to disassemble with a screwdriver.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
www.hermanmiller.com
Herman Miller
www.steelcase.com/uk/
Steelcase
www.wilkhahn.com
Wilkhahn
www.wilkhahn.com/0_meta/05_service/broschuere/literatur_pdf.html
See also their Wilkhahn Added Values to find out more about their sustainability performance.
WHERE CAN I SURF MORE?
GENERAL
TOOLS
BOARDS
CARPETS
CEILINGS & FLOORING
PAINTS & FINISHES
TEXTILES
WOOD
WASTE & RECYCLING
NEXT GOVERNMENT RESPONSES