Life Cycle Assessment CENTRIA 3" Formawall® Dimension Series® and Two Comparable Multi-Component Wall Assemblies by Five Winds International in collaboration with PE Americas REIMAGINING THE BUILDING ENVELOPE

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL VISION CENTRIA will meet the sustainability needs of customers by developing environmentally friendly products, reducing our consumption of water, energy and harmful chemicals and continuing on our path of social responsibility. Life Cycle Assessment of CENTRIA 3" Formawall® Dimension Series® and Two Comparable Multi-Component Wall Assemblies CENTRIA, an industry leader in building envelope assemblies and the manufacturer of the first Cradle-to-Cradle certified exterior building product, takes an active role in making a difference in the building and construction industry. As...

THE STUDY: LIFE CYCLE STAGES The life cycle stages included in this LCA study address: • Production and transportation of all materials • Product manufacturing • End-of-life treatment LCA Study Functional Unit Overview The LCA excludes the building use phase impacts such as heating or cooling. However, all wall assemblies were designed to conform to the minimum prescriptive requirements in accordance with climate Zone 5 of Proposed Addendum bb to ASHRAE Standard 90.1- 2007 for a low- or mid-rise commercial building. For the competitive study, a 3"-thick Formawall Dimension Series panel was compared...

Global Warming Potential per 100 sq ft ■ 1. Manufacture - Primary Panel ■ 2. Manufacture - Supplements ■ 3. All Component Distribution I 4. Assembly Installation Waste ■ 5. Assembly Maintenance 6. End of Life 3" Formawall Dimension Series vs. Precast Concrete According to the Life Cycle Assessment, 3"- thick Formawall Dimension Series has a better overall environmental profile than precast concrete. Both the 3" Formawall Dimension Series and precast wall assemblies were designed as minimally code compliant by Proposed Addendum bb to ASHRAE 90.1-2007. The standard requires less insulation for...

Wall Assembly Comparison Formawall Dimension Series Cradle-to-Gate Formawall Dimension Series The cradle to manufacturing gate production of 3" FWDS dominates all environmental impact indicators. In addition, for most of the environmental indicators, the cradle to manufacturing gate production of CENTRIA’s galvanized steel coil dominates the cradle to manufacturing gate production of 3" Formawall Dimension Series. The initial production of steel coil accounts for the following percentages of the 3" Formawall Dimension Series’ cradle to manufacturing gate impacts: 3" Thick Metal Foam Panel of...

Environmental Factors In an effort to bring consistency to the metrics of environmental impact in Life Cycle Assessment, the EPA developed TRACI (Tools for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts). TRACI normalization is an optional step within the LCA process to help further interpret the significance of multiple environmental factors. Based on TRACI normalization factors, all three wall assemblies contribute significantly more to global warming potential, eutrophication potential and acidification potential than to smog and ozone depletion potential. The impacts...