Architectural and HVAC Specialties

When designing a green or sustainable building, the use of rating systems and standards helps in determining the degree to which different goals are achieved. While programs like LEED and WELL recognize different certification levels, allowing designs to pick and choose which attributes to pursue, full certification in the Living Building Challenge requires that 100 percent of the building needs to comply with the criteria. The LBC does allow recognition for individual Petals that make up the total program, but everything in the requirements for the Petals must be met. The implication of this total approach is that everything in the design and/or specifications for a project needs to be looked at through the lens of a truly regenerative, healthy, and positive built environment. This can be easy to think of for the major components of a building, such as structure, facades, finishes, etc., but total compliance means that it applies to specialty products too, such as accessories, trim, grilles, and similar items used in a building.

To illustrate this concept, let’s take a look at a common and required product in most buildings in the form of metal grilles, which cover HVAC openings in walls, floors, ceilings, or exposed ductwork. Architects often like to select such products based on their contribution to the overall design intent of the building, while engineers are focused on the amount of air flow and net free area in them—both legitimate and important design considerations. Of course, there are choices in such products, and many come with the attributes of being lightweight, versatile in design characteristics, available in a variety of styles, and being manufactured from a variety of material choices. When used in a building pursuing LEED or the LBC, the additional considerations of the grilles as an installed product in a green or living building come into play, just as for any other products used. That means they need to be looked at and assessed on several fronts:

• Recycled metal content: Up to 94 percent post-consumer content recycled aluminum is possible and should be part of the specification for linear bar grilles, perforated grilles, or custom-fabricated products.
• Wood specification: For some designs, the grilles may be specified as being fabricated from wood instead of metal. In this case, the use of reclaimed wood is possible, but otherwise the wood should meet the same sustainability criteria as other wood in the building, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
• Durability and ease of maintenance: The most sustainable product is one that lasts and doesn’t need to be replaced or repaired unduly over time.
• Finishes: If any finish is used on the grilles, then they need to be low- or zero-VOC content. Some powder coatings that are electrostatically applied and then cured under heat without the use of solvents may be the best choice here.

Just like other products used in a building, the use of Declare labels issued by the International Living Future Institute can be asked for and used to compare different manufactured products based on the relevant criteria above. This information can be used for LBC projects, but note too that Declare has been approved as a compliance pathway for the LEED v4 Building Product Disclosure and Optimization Credit, Option 1. Regardless of the program being pursued, all products of all sizes and types used in a building need the transparent data and information that such declarations provide.

Photos courtesy of ARCHITECTURAL GRILLE

Wood or metal HVAC grilles used in green buildings or following the Living Building Challenge are as significant as any other building product when total compliance with standards is required.

INTERIOR PRODUCTS CASE STUDY

Photo courtesy of Etsy; used with permission of Wright’s Media

Project: Etsy Headquarters
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Architect: Gensler
Size: 198,635 square feet
Certification: Living Building Challenge 3.0 – Petal Certified
Case Study based on https://living-future.org/lbc/case-studies/etsy-headquarters/

The Project: Etsy envisioned its new global headquarters as an opportunity to instigate change, to set a new standard for sustainable construction and design in a renovation project, and to create a space that reflected its values, especially those related to community, craft, and sustainability. It approached each decision with careful consideration of the long-term health of both the project’s and the surrounding community’s ecosystem. Early on in the project, it became clear that Etsy’s aspirations to hold this project to the highest standards for sustainability aligned with the goals and Imperatives of the Living Building Challenge, particularly those of the Materials Petal.

The Context: Sticking with its roots, Etsy decided to move a few blocks down the street from its former headquarters in DUMBO, Brooklyn. The building chosen was built in 1926, expanded in 1955, and housed the Jehovah’s Witness printing press until it was sold and converted into a mixed-use office/retail space in 2013. Prior to its renovation, the building already had many appealing features, including: accessibility to public transportation and bike lanes; being outside the flood zone; potential for three distinct outdoor rooftop spaces; attractive floor-to-ceiling heights; shallow lease span on upper floors with ample access to daylight; and quality finished slab condition. The building has a zero lot line so there was no opportunity for landscaping on the project site beyond the green roofs constructed as part of the tenant fit out. Though not within the scope of this certification, all the rooftop landscaping followed the LBC requirements, using native plants that are well adapted to the local environment, creating a healthy habitat for insects, birds, moss, and ferns. All plants are supported by a rainwater collection system, and no commercial pesticides or fertilizer are used.

Materials Used: Etsy’s material-sourcing goals of conscientious reuse, radical transparency, nontoxic materials, and hyper-local purchasing positioned it well for pursuing the Materials Petal. The entire project team sought out LBC-compliant construction materials, ultimately vetting more than 1,500 materials for Red List, CDPH compliance, and ingredient disclosure. Small-scale Etsy furniture makers collaborated with the project team, FSC, and ILFI to rework their product fabrication to achieve Declare Labels on 31 furniture pieces, while collaborations with large-scale manufactures enabled first-time, LBC-compliant documentation, reformulated product lines, and pursuit of additional Declare labels. In all, the project incorporated 69 Declare labels, representing 24 percent of the materials budget.

The project team worked diligently to find compliant solutions to challenging product classes. As an example, the HVAC grille supplier worked with both Modern Woodcrafts LLC and Gensler to research and supply HVAC grille covers that would comply with the stringent requirements and regulations of the Living Building Challenge. The individuals involved were instrumental in researching the desired products and materials/ ingredients to ensure that nothing was present on the Red List.

Results: So far, the ETSY Brooklyn headquarters has completed four of the seven Petals: Materials, Place, Health and Happiness, and Beauty. It has also met imperatives across all seven Petals. As the largest Petal-Certified Living Building Challenge project to date, it proved that a project of this size could be completed with the support of artists, makers, and micro-businesses in addition to design and construction teams.

Conclusion

Green and sustainable design requires attention to many details and many different aspects of a building. Some are obvious and visible, while some are embedded within the materials used or the nuances of the design. Either way, they all need to work together toward a whole project that is good for the people who use the building and the environment where it is located. The use of certification programs is a good way to delve into the issues and details, but ultimately, it is the design and construction team working with a building owner that can collaborate successfully to create truly sustainable, even regenerative facilities.

Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP practices architecture, consults on green buildings, presents continuing education seminars, and writes prolifically on topics related to design and high-performance buildings. www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch