According to Paula Melton, the design and construction industries are moving toward and refining processes for evaluating the healthiness and energy efficiency of building products and materials. As a result, the industry is moving away from a “cherry-picking style labeling” to material ingredient disclosure. Nutrition label type product information is being disclosed by manufacturers so that designers and construction experts can be better informed about which products and materials they select. However, this can be extended to other products as well, with the benefit that the general public is more conscious of where, how, and of what their consumed goods are manufactured. Melton warns that this may result in an information overload, but if experts equipped in each respective industry is able to make informed selecting decisions, then consumers will be able to purchase healthier and greener products. For example, were the nutrition label approach applied to the fashion industry, designers would be able to select healthier materials for their clothing lines, which then filter down to the consumers.
Embodied energy is the total energy that a product consumes throughout its lifetime, from raw material extraction, to transportation and manufacturing, and ending with material disposal. Thus, designers should be concerned with the embodied energy of their products because a material consumes energy throughout its life cycle. It is important to ensure that a building and its components consume as little energy as possible, not just during construction, but throughout its lifetime. By selecting materials and products with low embodied energy, buildings will have higher durability, lower toxicity, and a decreased energy footprint.
If I were to plan for the BAC to follow Google’s example of healthy materials, I would begin by selecting a task force of faculty and students who could review and propagate the information to the BAC community. While the BAC does undertake many small construction, gallery, and community projects, I’ve noticed that a large part of its material use comes from model making in studio classes. Thus, the task force would be primarily concerned with tracking the life cycles and extraction and manufacturing processes of common model making materials, such as chipboard, cardboard, museum board, pink foam, glue, and paint. Informing students about the impact of these common materials may help them to be more conscious about the amount of material they use and discard and which materials are more sustainable. Posting this information in studios, classrooms, and the laser cutter lab would be helpful. Once the overall health and sustainability of common materials are determined, I believe it would be helpful for the BAC to open a small student operated store that could sell healthier glues, paints, and materials to make it easier for students to acquire and use them.
(Melton, Paula. “Made of the Right Stuff.” Building Green, January 2013.)
(Cannon Design. Material Life, 2013.)
(Malin, Nadav. “A Peek Inside Google’s Healthy Materials Program.” Building Green, 29 May 2012.)
