Wood has been an essential building product for thousands of years, for its strength, versatility and beauty. Those attributes still apply, even in contemporary construction practices. Its performance with regard to indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and acoustics make it a top choice.

But the green story doesn’t end there. Wood waste created during manufacturing can be used to power mills and fabrication plants; some even pump energy back into the grid. Sustainable forestry practices ensure a reliable supply of wood for construction of all types. Salvaged, reclaimed and recycled wood products are growing in prominence daily.

The Green Building Rating System Guides below (part of the Building Green with Wood Toolkit) highlight a series of topics addressing how green building rating systems relate to the use of wood products including life cycle assessment, durability, Passive Design and many others. Each topic provides information on why wood adds value to your project, how to include it in your design, the procedure you need to follow, what to ask suppliers and much more.

Indoor Air Quality

Wood does not emit toxic vapours, making it ideal for locations where occupants are known to have environmental sensitivities. Increasingly, coatings, resins, and binders used in wood products are available in low – or non-toxic formulations.

Locally Produced Materials

Locally produced materials are often sought because they match a local design aesthetic and tend to be more durable in the local climate. And choosing local materials also supports local economies and reduces the environmental impacts of transportation.

Recycled Materials

Recycled content products are made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded either during the manufacturing process or at the end of service life.  Specifying recycled content products plays an essential part in reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills, not to mention energy consumption and green house gas emissions.

Passive Design and Framing

Passive design is an approach to building design that uses the building architecture to leverage natural energy sources, minimize energy consumption, and improve thermal comfort. Passive buildings rely heavily on high-performing building envelope assemblies and passive solar energy.

Certified Wood

Forest certification verifies the sustainability of forest management. Optional third-party chain-of-custody certification traces wood material from point of harvest to its end use, including all stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution.

Acoustics

From a violin to an entire concert hall, wood plays a role in delivering memorable acoustical experiences. Wood produces sound by direct striking and it amplifies or absorbs sound waves that originate from other sources.

Construction Waste Management

The objectives of construction waste management are to divert construction and demolition debris from the landfill and feed it back into higher value purposes, such as (energy) cogeneration and various manufacturing processes, with reusable materials diverted to appropriate uses.

Salvaged Materials

Salvaging and reusing wood and wood-based products reduces demand for virgin materials and reduces waste, thereby lessening the environmental impacts associated with the extraction and processing of virgin resources. A considerable portion of the wood demolished from an existing building, or the wood used during the construction process, can be salvaged and reused.

Life Cycle Assessment

The best way to determine the full environmental impacts of a building product or design is through life cycle assessment (LCA), which analyzes the total environmental impacts of all materials and energy flows, either as input or output, over the life of a product from raw material to end-of-life disposal or to rebirth as a new product.

Durability

Using durable materials such as wood, as well as appropriate building applications and design, minimizes materials use. This sheet talks about the strength and durability of green building materials, highlighting wood use.