Perceptions of the Environmental and Health Impacts of Wood Product Use in Buildings: A Survey Among Architects on the United States West Coast

Abstract

Accepted paradigms concerning the built environment are shifting. Sustainability practices now consider the potential impact on human health and well-being in addition to the resultant impact on the natural environment. This changing paradigm is reflected in new sustainable building certification and sustainability assessment tools. In light of these evolving priorities, wood has become an increasingly advantageous construction material. It presents more positive attributes in comparison to other construction materials, such as steel and concrete, including: renewability, a smaller carbon footprint, and human health benefits. Within an increasingly health-and environmentally-conscious field, wood is positioned to meet sustainability demands on multiple levels. Because architects are one of the key decision-makers for building material selection, both their perceptions of the sustainability of wood products and their familiarity with sustainability certification and assessment tools were investigated, along with their knowledge of the relationship between the two. Architects certified by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) practicing on the United States West Coast, a prominent market for the forest product industry and green building, were contacted to complete a questionnaire. The responding architects indicated that they hold an overall positive perception of the environmental and health impacts of using wood products in the built environment, with some concerns about the impacts building with wood can have on forests. It appears that the environmental and health impacts building materials have is important to the responding architects. However, these attributes are currently not as important when compared to aesthetics, codes, and cost in making material decisions for a building.