Everyone is going “green”, or are they? The very fact that "green-washing" (making something appear greener than it is) is an emerging term is a good indication that not all is at it first appears. As would be expected, structural engineering is not immune from the often daunting task of sorting through all the newer, better, greener, cleaner, friendlier, safer products available to the design and construction industry. So where do you start?

The cement, steel and lumber industries will continue to be the backbone for multi-residential, commercial and public sector structures. The greenest manufactured building materials on the block, most likely have their origins from one of these foundation building materials. For example Durisol (see June News) a popular insulated concrete form (ICF) is a wood fibre and Portland cement based product. Pre-engineered wood products such as I-joists, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), parallel oriented strand lumber (PSL), plywoods and oriented strand boards (OSB), to name a few, all use lumber or by-products from the lumber milling process, combined with a variety of adhesives in their production. The fact that these products require more processing, and hence more energy consumption, may make them less appealing. Every building material can be argued on its merits and faults relative to each other. Where are your priorities?

The energy required to assemble cement and steel based manufactured products is inconsequential when compared to the energy required to extract the raw materials, and produce Portland cement and rolled steel.

These backbone industries (cement, steel, lumber) must be leaders in reducing emissions and overall impact. To keep up with their efforts visit the websites below. They could certainly do more, sooner…but so could all of us.

CAC - Cement Association of Canada
PCA - Portland Cement Association
CISC - Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
AISI - American Iron and Steel Institute
CWC - Canadian Wood Council
FPAC - Forest and Paper Association of Canada
AFPA - American Forest and Paper Association

Single family residential buildings have fewer demands on them from a structural load carrying and interior open space perspective. Because of this, these structures have many great construction options available: straw/clay, straw bale, timber framed, log, earthen adobe style, and natural stone, to name a few. With some compromise in size, and a shift in thinking on economy, public buildings could also make use of these options, and there are many examples where this has been successfully done.

Limiting processing and transportation is the best way to minimize embodied energy. Therefore, using local building components of naturally occurring materials, in a form closest to how they existed in nature, will always amount to the lowest embodied energy.

Embodied energy (the energy consumed over the life of the product), and life cycle indicators (life of product, maintenance requirements, affect on the health of the occupants, inherent value, etc.) are, in my opinion, the truest measure of sustainability.

What is it made of? Where did it come from? How did it get here? What has to be done to it? How do we maintain it? How long will it last? How do we dispose of it? Will it improve my health my happiness and that of those around me? Will it harm me and will I or my family or my employees be less productive, ill, or require time off as a result. Impact on long term productivity is a life cycle indicator that rarely gets attention. Consider asking yourself these questions every time you make a decision relating to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of a building and you may be surprised by your choices.

Bradley Engineering puts local, community, and self-sufficiency highest on the sustainability priority list. Adding to this the principles of Bau-Biologie (see April News) we have a guide to help put things in perspective. The important thing to remember is that every project must be considered for its own challenges and opportunities, combined with the priorities of the client.

Bradley Engineering looks at each project with a clean slate. We apply our knowledge and experience, as well as information from a growing web of excellent designers, consultants and individuals, to arrive at the best solution for your project.

Bradley Engineering is committed to making local, used, and recycled products easier for our contractors and clients to use, while satisfying the intent of the building codes and upholding structural integrity. Some of these initiatives include further education in grading local lumber and the use of historic steel, and staying abreast of the rapidly changing constituents used in cement and concrete products. Without question, the most valuable action Bradley Engineering can take is to continue to broaden the circle of support, developing and maintaining relationships that further this effort.

This is actualized as the formation of a collective (design team) whose education and experience covers the full spectrum of this broad and growing effort. A dream becomes reality when we all do our part consciously with a common understanding and egoless intent.

I truly have an optimistic look on the future. As we continue to awaken to the insanity, and overcome our overwhelmed, action is not far behind. Evidence of this change is everywhere. Resistance is no longer accepted and may already be more challenging to sustain. Continue to do your part, and watch the circle of sustainability grow around you.