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Sustainable Development and Green Buildings |
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 | ::Suzanne St-Laurent
Apprentice
Canam Canada |
At the turn of the century, the environmental issue took on a whole new meaning. According to certain studies, we are consuming the planet’s renewable resources faster than ecosystems can restore them. At this rate, we will deplete the earth’s resources and will require the equivalent of four planet earths by 2050 to sustain the world’s population. For this reason, we must act now!
A concerted effort is necessary to reverse the current trends that are causing the deterioration of our planet and to achieve the two key goals of reducing or preventing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climactic changes.
Efforts are now being made in the construction sector, as witnessed by the emergence of an increased number of “green” buildings. They reflect design, construction and operating practices that significantly eliminate or reduce the negative impact of buildings on the environment and building occupants.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification program used to officially recognize "green buildings". The following article discusses LEED certification and the advantages derived from the initiatives taken by Canam to address the challenge of sustainable development.
LEED® CERTIFICATION
The "Canada Green Building Council" (CaGBC) signed a Licensing Agreement with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the exclusive implementation of the LEED Green Building Rating System in Canada.
The LEED rating system is intended to improve the environmental performance and economic returns of buildings.
The points earned towards LEED certification are expressed in percentage terms and are distributed as follows:
| 1 | Sustainable Sites | 20% |
| 2 | Water Efficiency | 7.2% |
| 3 | Energy & Atmosphere | 24.3% |
| 4 | Materials & Resources | 20% |
| 5 | Indoor Environmental Quality | 21.4% |
| 6 | Innovation & Design Process | 5.7% |
| 7 | LEED Accredited Professional | 1.4% |
Building owners enjoy the many advantages resulting from LEED certification. In addition to the economic returns of a green building, LEED certification attracts media attention, provides the building with a positive image and contributes to its resale value.
CANAM
Sustainable development and environmental protection are important issues at Canam, with several initiatives having been undertaken already. For example, Canam is committed to purchasing steel and paint with a high recycled content and to recovering its waste material, which in the case of paint is largely recycled and in the case of steel is entirely recycled.
At least 50% of the steel used by Canam in the fabrication of joists and deck contains recycled steel. Steel recycled at a rate of up to 100% can also be obtained from certain suppliers.
::Advantages of using open-web products
The use of joist girders as opposed to “W” beams over the same distance between columns represents weight savings of up to 25%.
Also, by selecting joist girders instead of beams, it is possible to reduce the number of necessary columns and foundations by allowing for longer spans (spans of more than 30 m are not uncommon).
Joists and joist girders allow artificial and natural light to pass through their open webs.
As well, joists and joist girders allow ventilation ducts and other mechanical systems to run through their open webs without increasing the height of a building. The volume of air needed for heating in winter and air conditioning in summer is therefore reduced.
Canam is committed to providing better building solutions to improve environmental performance, economic returns and occupant well-being.
USEFUL LINKS AND REFERENCES
Steel Recycling Institute
SJI (“Green Buildings”)
Gerdau Ameristeel
Canada Green Building Council
Canadian Steel Producers Association
CSSBI
Sustainable Development in the World Steel Industry
AIM
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