Sustainable Design

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Wood has many attributes that make it an obvious choice for green building. It grows naturally, using energy from the sun, and is the only major building material that’s renewable and sustainable over the long term. It also outperforms steel and concrete when compared using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. LCA is an internationally recognized approach to evaluating materials, assemblies and even whole structures, over the course of their entire lives, based on measurable indicators of environmental impact. Using this method, study after study has shown that wood is better for the environment than steel or concrete in terms of:

Global warming potential
Resource use
Embodied energy
Air pollution
Water pollution

Wood also contributes to a building’s energy efficiency and has an important role to play in the fight against climate change. While humans contribute carbon dioxide (CO₂) to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, growing trees absorb CO₂ and release clean oxygen. Some of the CO₂ is absorbed into the soil and the rest is stored in trees—and wood products made from trees—until they burn or biodegrade.

More Information

Information on specific aspects of wood and green building can be found under life cycle assessment, green building rating systems, forest certification, energy efficiency, and climate change.

Canadian Wood. Renewable by Nature. Sustainable by Design - Forestry Innovation Investment, 22 pages ( 3260KB PDF)
Green by Design – Canadian Wood Council, 20 pages ( 355KB PDF)
Green Wood: Building Green with Wood – American Forest & Paper Association, reprinted in Structures Magazine, 3 pages ( 176KB PDF)
State of America’s Forests – Published by the Society of American Foresters, available online from the Southern Forest Products Association, 76 pages ( 1.8MB PDF)
Sustainable Design and Wood – Joint effort of FP Innovations – Forintek Division, Canadian Wood Council, Forest Products Association of Canada and Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 8 pages ( 321KB PDF)
Wood and Building Occupants – Canadian Wood Council, 1 page ( 194KB PDF)
Wood and Green Building - WoodWorks, 4 pages ( 725KB PDF)
Wood and the Greening of Commercial Buildings – Canadian Wood Council, 1 page ( 265KB PDF)
Wood Products Enhance Our Environment – Southern Forest Products Association, 2 pages ( 218KB PDF)
Wood: Sustainable Building Solutions – APA – The Engineered Wood Association, 8 pages
Wood: The Building Material of Choice – Canadian Wood Council, 1 page ( 212KB PDF)

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If you’ve designed or been involved with a “green” commercial building, your project may be eligible for a Wood Design Award. Click here for more information.