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Stainless Steel Producers Need to Engage the U.S. Green Building Council to Update Their Point
System
By Carroll McCormick
Nickel Magazine, June 2008 -- Nickel-containing stainless steel has much
to contribute to sustainable building design. Recycled content, the diversion of material from construction
waste, and the re-use of building components are already recognized under the present LEED system (version
2.2); however the longevity of stainless is not adequately addressed. Since LEED’s mandate is to take into
account the complete life cycle of buildings, this presents a valuable opportunity for the stainless steel
industry.
“This is more of a recent thought that speaks to durability,” Tom Hicks, vice-president of international
programs for the U.S. Green Building Council, told Nickel Magazine. “This is more often seen in home rating
systems. There isn’t anything specific that addresses the durability of products in the present version of
LEED. But there is an opportunity to bring that into the public comment period or in an entirely new
credit.”
Amendments to LEED 2009 that explicitly recognize the many sustainable attributes of stainless are
possible. In the meantime, however, the only way project teams can seek points for the sustainable properties
of stainless steel, other than the three categories mentioned above, is by creatively applying the rules of
the LEED system in the following ways:
Each LEED credit has two parts: the intent and the requirements. In EQ Credit 4.2: Low-Emitting Materials:
Paints & Coatings, for example, the intent is to “reduce the quantity of indoor contaminants . . .” The
requirement is to use low-volatility organic content paints and coatings, including anti-corrosive and
anti-rust paints. An applicant could argue that substituting “interior ferrous metal substrates” with
stainless steel meets the credit’s intent because stainless steel requires no coatings and emits no volatile
organic compounds.
“That is a place where there is a rational argument to be made,” Hicks says. “Folks may argue that an item
does not meet the prescriptive part of a credit but that it meets its ultimate goal. If you have another way
to meet the performance specs, send us the conditions.” Under LEED, low-emitting materials include
“zero-emitting” materials.
Application for recognition under the intent of a credit is made with what USGBC calls a Credit
Interpretation Request (CIR). Applicants are encouraged to submit performance details or product
specification on the material, says Hicks; a USGBC technical advisory group will then review the argument’s
merits. A CIR can be used as a precedent for other rulings, and other project teams can take advantage of
them.
“As we get feedback from industry, they can submit performance or intent equivalent alternative compliance
paths, to meet the intent of a credit,” Hicks says.
The administrators of LEED are also open to “outside-the-box” ideas under its Innovation and Design
Process. If an application for a credit is denied, there is an appeal process.
There are other areas where applicants can consider applying for points for stainless steel: in her 2008
paper Stainless Steel’s Sustainable Advantage in Architecture, Catherine Houska, senior market development
manager with TMR Architectural Metals Consulting, argues that runoff from a stainless roof could be cleaner
than that from roofs made of other materials. It might therefore qualify for a storm water quality control
point under a CIR.
There are other concepts that fall completely outside LEED. In these cases the stainless steel industry
has an opportunity to submit public comment requesting changes in LEED 2009. For example, Houska believes
stainless steel roofs should receive recognition for their longevity, compared with painted roofs. “For a lot
of them, you have to remove the paint, and the problem is with the chemicals you have to use to do that. Some
manufacturers assume that when a roof starts to peel, it will just be replaced.”
LEED expressly excludes piping materials from consideration for points, yet in Japan (see Nickel Magazine, Vol. 23. No. 2, page 6),
stainless steel piping and valves have been proposed as a way to extend the lifespan of apartment buildings.
This would eliminate many sources of carbon dioxide emissions that result from the dismantling and rebuilding
of structures, the production and transportation of materials, and so on. This should also be recognized
under LEED as well.
“This is a good observation,” Hicks acknowledges. “Piping is looking (only) at the near-term environmental
impact. But this is an opportunity to bring this to our attention, through the public comment for LEED 2009,
for a credit through piping.
Carroll McCormick is a Montreal-based freelance writer
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