Sustainable Products and Materials

90-Minute Education Session

MON-A06 - Breaking Free from Tropical Hardwoods: New Alternatives for Sustainability

1.50 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/HSW, AICP, FL, GBCI SITES, NY/HSW, CMAA

Lead Speaker(s)

• 

  Meg Calkins, FASLA, SITES AP

  Professor + Department Head
  North Carolina State University

Speaker(s)

• 

  Laura Solano, ASLA

  Principal
  Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
• 

  Thomas Amoroso, ASLA

  Principal, PLA
  Andropogon

Dependency on tropical hardwoods is unsustainable given current rates of use, ecosystem degradation, and slow renewal rates. Fortunately, there are new alternatives that are durable, beautiful, and renewable. In this session learn how to use and work with thermally modified, acetylated, and polymerized woods, fused bamboo lumber, and black locust.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the environmental and social impacts of using tropical hardwoods.
• Compare alternatives to tropical hardwoods with respect to use, cost, performance, durability, and aesthetics.
• Understand issues with procurement, detailing, fabrication, installation, and maintenance requirements for alternatives to tropical hardwoods.
• Understand the challenges of specifying various wood types within SITES and Living Building Challenge projects.