Why FSC Was Important to This Project
Since the function of the Learning Center is to teach about the natural environment, the client team wanted the Learning Center to be a facility that could demonstrate the utmost stewardship toward natural resources. Further, they wanted to provide visitors with the opportunity to see a working model of sustainability. Being located on a pristine wooded site, using wood as the main building material was a natural fit. The wood could be obtained locally, both supporting the local and regional economies, and reduce fuel consumption for delivery to the site.
Since wood also has low embodied energy, is recyclable, and biodegradable, it is almost the perfect sustainable building material. Third party certification by FSC insures that wood products were grown and harvested with the utmost care for the environment. Therefore, the use of FSC certification was adopted because its use furthered the client’s effort to demonstrate sustainability. It was decided to not to just meet the LEED required level of 50% (to earn the certified wood credit), but to specify 100% FSC-certified wood.
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Project Name: North Cascades Environmental Learning Center
Location: Diablo Lake, WA
Building Type: Heavy timber and wood frame
Square Footage: 38,600
Owner: Seattle City Light, National Park Service, North Cascades Institute
Architect: The Henry Klein Partnership
Use of FSC-certified Wood
FSC-certified wood products totaled 84% (by cost) of all new wood materials used on the project. FSC-certified products included custom casework, dimensional lumber, glulam beams and columns, cedar siding and trim, tongue & groove decking, exterior sheathing, wood doors, and wood flooring. This project initially specified FSC certification for 100% of all wood products. The effort to locate certified wood resulted in educating many suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors. The custom casework subcontractor, Baywood Cabinets, obtained FSC chain-of-custody certification to meet the project specification. We were not able to reach the goal of 100% certified wood, but we did achieve well above the 50% required for the LEED point and in the process helped transform the marketplace, and educated a great many people, including ourselves. |
