In greening a project, designers sometimes must weigh sustainability against aesthetics as they spec materials. For wood, the geographic location of the species used plays a role in LEED certification. The most widely recognized benchmark for measuring green building, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for awarding points toward certification. To support indigenous resources or the local economy and to reduce transportation–related environmental impacts, the system awards points for the use of “regional materials.”

Under the current LEED for Retail–CI pilot program (the commercial interiors rating system that applies to tenant improvements of new or existing retail space), the use of regional materials can qualify a project for two out of 58 possible points. A project needs 21 points for general LEED for Retail–CI certification, 27 for Silver, 32 for Gold, and 42 for Platinum certification. Similarly, under the LEED for Retail–NC (the rating system that applies to new retail construction and major retail renovations), the use of regional materials can qualify a project for two out of 70 possible points. A project needs 26 points for general LEED for Retail–NC certification, 33 for Silver, 39 for Gold, and 52 for Platinum.

HOW REGIONALITY WORKS
The quest for LEED points can lead designers to rethink favorite exotic wood species. Imported species such as mahogany and anigre have long been prized for their aesthetics, says Brent J. McClendon, executive vice president of the Alexandria, Va.–based International Wood Products Association. “The colors, textures, and figures of many imported species provide an open palette of opportunities,” he says, “but imported wood certainly doesn’t grow regionally.”

For LEED purposes, “regional” is defined as within a 500–mile radius of the project site, which tends to disfavor exotics. The criteria for obtaining regional materials points depends on which retail rating system applies to the project. Under LEED for Retail–NC, one point is awarded if at least 10 percent of materials permanently installed in the store are extracted, harvested or recovered, and manufactured within 500 miles of the store; the percentage is based on the cost of the materials. An additional point is awarded if the regional materials comprise at least 20 percent of the total materials by cost. Under LEED for Retail–CI, two points for regional materials are possible:
• One point if at least 20 percent of the materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the store.
• An additional point if, in addition to the above, at least 10 percent of the materials were extracted, harvested or recovered, and manufactured within 500 miles of the store.
Since the points hinge on the store locale, manufacturing plants close to an exotic wood supply will not help a domestic project achieve regional materials points. Theoretically, the location where components are manufactured also would come into play. Under LEED for Retail–NC, if a material is manufactured partly regionally and partly non–regionally, only the percentage (by weight) manufactured regionally counts as part of the 10 or 20 percent required. Such language is missing from LEED for Retail–CI criteria, making the effect of component sourcing unclear.

Because the regional criteria relates to the store location, obtaining regional materials points for multiple stores might require varying material selection by geographic location. “Retailers looking to create standards to be used across their footprint may need to select a different palette from one region to the next, depending on from how many different locations the desired wood species is harvested,” says Nancy Everhart, LEED�AP and studio principal of Little, an A.R.E. member design firm based in Charlotte, N.C.

CERTIFICATION WITHOUT REGIONALITY
For many store projects, obtaining regional materials points might not seem worth it. “The points gained from regional materials are sometimes not worth pursuing, as so many other possible points are not regionally dependant, like many of the mechanical and electrical points,” says Michael J. Payne, associate of MulvannyG2 Architecture, based in Bellevue, Wash. If enough other points are easier to obtain, certification may be achievable without seeking the two points possible through local sourcing. So if imported wood is a desired design aesthetic, it may be used simply because the regional points are not needed.

But McClendon suggests that exotic woods can be used to achieve a certain look without the loss of regional sourcing points—by specifying veneer. If enough other materials, including substrates, are sourced locally and the veneer is used in fixtures made locally, those points may still be achievable.

Exotic species also are less likely to qualify a project for a LEED point for certified wood. Each of the two LEED for Retail rating systems allows for a point for at least 50 percent of the wood in the project being FSC–certified. The Forest Stewardship Council certification is the only forest management certification recognized by the LEED systems, a fact that has drawn criticism from producers of wood certified under other programs. And while many imported woods are certified under programs such as the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), only a small percentage are FSC–certified, says McClendon of IWPA.

However, the use of veneer may accomplish the objective here as well, McClendon points out. If exotic veneers are used to achieve a specific look, the remainder of the project’s wood may be enough to qualify for the wood certification point.

By becoming aware of the issues involved in speccing exotic wood for LEED projects, wood suppliers and fixture manufacturers can better understand how they fit into green store projects.