SUSTAINABLE BUILDING EQUALS HEALTHIER BUILDING PRODUCTS

According to the reading, why is the industry moving from “cherry-picking style labeling(BPA-free or 50% recycled content)” to material ingredient disclosure? What are theeffects of requiring ingredient disclosure on other products, not just building products?

Sustainable building is a market that is in demand for healthier building products; this includes the materials that make up the structure to the end finishes placed on the walls. As this has become a bigger industry it has also become more important and requires a larger effort to provide tools that allow and help building professionals to fully assess and improve the materials that are specified for the buildings they have a hand in designing. According to the “Made of the Right Stuff?” article by Paula Melton “ The aim of the HPD[ The Health Product Declaration] is to get beyond the cherry-picking style of labeling (“BPA-free” or “50 percent recycled content”) in favor if a complete health-hazard list, as the previous method is not enough. The effects of requiring ingredient disclosure on other products not just building products would allow for further market support and innovation. Public disclosure will steer the public to not using toxic materials, removing it as much as possible so that a cleaner earth for a healthier human lives is created.

Why should designers be concerned about the embodied energy of products? 

Embodied energy products include materials that have been consumed energy throughout its life from its initial extraction from raw materials to the energy used to maintain it throughout its life. Designers should be concerned about these products because as noted by Cannon Design in Material Life Embodied Energy of Building Materials “studies have illustrated that embodied energy accounts for the majority of the building’s energy footprint for approximately the first 15-20 years of a building’s life cycle.” As heavy influencers of the materials used for a building construction and finish outs, designers can help reduce the buildings overall energy by selecting products that have a lower embodied energy, contain a reduced amount of toxic chemicals and have a positive influence on the environment it touches throughout its life as a buildings envelope and structure make up approximately 50% of the embodied energy. This can be seen on the “Average initial embodied energy of an office building” chart by the Cole and Kernan study in 1996.

If you wanted the BAC to follow Google’s example for healthy materials, how would yougo about it?

If the BAC was to follow Google’s example for healthy materials it would likely be beneficial to join them in their efforts by partnering up in internal testing of products within the school and future projects. From the chair students and staff sit in to the doors placed throughout. The BAC could be an advocate for schools across the world and possibly influence students to incorporate these “healthy workplace” goals into their own offices and projects. This would in turn have a great influence on the building industry and market, to where more manufactures will learn how and participate in providing and reporting their products information. As it was made clear in the article “A Peek Inside Google’s Healthy Materials Program” by Nadav Malin “Manufactures don’t always know about everything that goes into their products, and when they do, they often consider that information proprietary.” This would be an accomplishment for both the push for awareness and education for a healthier environment turns into a domino effect for transparency and cooperation from manufacturers.