Wil-Spec is in its 17th year in business, since our founding. In this NewNote, we discuss Honduras Mahogany, LEEDS, CHPS and GGHC credits, and the "Product of the Day" - Solera Diffusion Glass. Wil-Spec is in its 17th year in business, since our founding. Wil-Spec’s specifications has reflected our client’s designs and their desire for a well-coordinated and complete set of documents. We remain faithful to our service commitment for our clients. Please check out our new web site, and Thank You, for your continued support. Construction waste and debris management can be incorporated into projects, whether they are LEED certified or not. In 2003 the United States EPA estimated that 164,000-million tons of building-related waste was generated. Of which 9 percent is construction waste, 38 percent is renovation waste and 53 percent is demolition debris. Landfills are full, and those remaining is declining. Massachusetts Law has banned landfills from receiving construction waste for public work since July 2006. To dispose of debris, contractors are faced with longer hauling distances, which increases fuel consumption and vehicles emissions. Landfills become contaminated, or leak into water sources and their cleaning drains public funds. Using new materials instead of recycling, increases greenhouse gasses, and uses greater energy resources. Adding construction waste and debris (C&D) management not only contributes to saving the environment, it has also been proven to be cost effective. A target of 50% diversion of waste is small goal, up to 75 to 90 percent is achievable. Adding construction waste and debris management criteria to your specifications should become your firm’s standard design policy. Are you meeting your construction budget? According to RSMeans ranking of US City Construction costs, published in 12/06, the Northeast is well over the national average. Boston is ranked number 5 nationally in highest construction costs, and Providence is Number 14. Additionally, construction materials prices rose nationally 0.6 percent in February 2007 and are expected to go higher. For the remainder of 2007, the key price drivers will again be tight supplies of oil and metals in the world market and cement and aggregates in the U.S. market Every so often, we are asked what is the difference between Finish Carpentry and Architectural Woodwork. Our approach is amazingly simple, and offers a good guideline. Section 06 20 00 (06200) Finish Carpentry is for field fabricated finish woodwork. Section 06 40 00 (06400) Architectural Woodwork is for shop fabricated woodwork, which is brought to the field to be installed MAHOGANY: Not all Mahogany is alike. South American Mahogany is not the same as its cheaper version African Mahogany. The use of the name mahogany for timbers which are quite unrelated to the true mahogany of Latin America and Africa is widespread. Not only that, but early traders called mahogany by the country source from which it came, such as Brazilian mahogany, Peruvian mahogany etc. The species “Honduras Mahogany” (Swietenia macrophylla), is also commonly called “Genuine Mahogany”, and does not come from Honduras. Most legal “Honduras Mahogany” comes from Peru, and from certain regions of Brazil. In these areas it is legally farmed and available from managed forests. We recommended very highly that only forest certified (managed farmed) mahogany be specified, whether you are applying for LEED credits or not. “Honduras Mahogany” (Swietenia macrophylla) is endangered or extinct in many parts of South and Central America, including Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, as well as parts of Brazil and Peru. It is still harvested illegally from these areas at tremendous cost to the rainforests and the indigenous tribes. Alternative species to Mahogany to consider which are also forest certified are FSC Andrioba (Carapa procera), and FSC Santa Maria (Calophyllum brasiliense). For more on Mahogany, visit our web-site in April CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) was formed in 1963 as an international agreement to protect approximately 33,000 endangered animals, plants, and their habitat. CITES consists now of 171 countries who voluntarily adhere to the agreement of regulating trade and safeguard certain species from extinction. Roughly, there are 28,000 species of plants protected by CITES. The three CITES Appendices lists these. Additionally CITES has special monitoring and protection programs for Elephants, Great Apes, the Hawksbill Turtle, and there is even a special program for Mahogany Trade. For more on CITES, visit their web-site: www.cites.org WORKING ON THE WEB - HELPFUL ENVIRONMENTAL WEB SITES http://www.certifiedwoodsearch.org/searchproducts.aspx Search engine to obtain certified wood species, and their sources. http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding US EPA Web on Green buildings, includes links to resources http://www.globalgreen.org/gbrc/resources.htm Links to Green building product sources, certification programs, and articles. Very basic site, and although set up for light construction, still has some interest. http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/index.cfm Search Engine and links for Green building products When the words green design pop up on a project, we all think LEED (United States Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System). LEED is the industry leader, and the only third party certification for sustainable design. LEED’s credits however are driven towards goals of the USGBC which don’t always meet requirements of particular building types Hospitals The GGHC, Green Guide for Health Care, began in 2003, provides the healthcare sector with a voluntary, self-certifying toolkit use to guide and evaluate progress toward “high performance healing environments”. GGHC does not offer third party certification. However, its credit structure is based on LEED, thus it provides a basis for eventual pursuit of LEED certification. For more information on GGHC, go to www.gghc.org. Schools CHPS, Collaborative Of High Performance Schools, is a standard for schools, started in California in 1999 as a collaborative of stage agencies, utilities, and non profit organizations. CHPS is now moving toward the east coast. Nearly all of the New England States, New York, and New Jersey are moving towards implementation of the CHPS Guidelines. Each state’s own guidelines do vary, and have different requirements. Massachusetts has developed a pilot program which is intended be tied to state funding initiatives after the lifting of the current funding moratorium. For general information on CHPS go to www.chps.net., for more information on Massachusetts CHPS, go to: http://www.mtpc. In February, Robb Wilkinson traveled to sunny (but very cold) Montreal, for an education and trade conference promoting trade from Canada. In a period of two days, Robb met with 25 manufacturers, most of whom we have never seen in the states. These manufacturers, as a whole, have very high quality standards, an environmental consciousness, and distribute their products at a savings over their competitors in the states. Also up north, due to the short construction season there is a huge emphasis on modular design. Primarily this is for housing, but we found one industrial version which is great for factories, shipping facilities and small office buildings. Overall, the Canadian products were very impressive, the lesson is… look to the North for product alternatives. Solera Diffusion Glass, is an insulated glass with a ‘diffusing viel’ (a thin acrylic coated fiberglass) bonded to both the number 2 and 3 surfaces of insulating glass units. It comes in 1 inch thick units (Solera L) which can be installed in any curtainwall system, storefront system, or commercial window. It also comes in a 3 inch thick unit (Solera T that has a clear acrylic honeycomb core, but also has a 1 inch glazing bite. This translucent glass diffuses sunlight evenly throughout a space eliminating glare and ‘hot spots’. We view this as the glass alternative to Kalwall. Check it out at http://www.advancedglazings.com/ A refrigerated indoor ski facility in New Jersey, with real snow, and chair lift. • Furniture specifications for American University in Cairo, providing ALL furnishings and signage for the entire campus. • Exhibits at Babe Ruth Museum. Wil-Spec has stayed with the cutting edge of material technology, understanding trends, cost implications and environmental issues. With each project, we advise and freely share our knowledge with you. We are open to questions, and will research the answers we didn’t previously know. This NewsNote is a furthering of our communication effort for Clients, Architects, and Designers. It is our hope that this introduction will serve as a catalyst for further discussions, and investigations in your own office. NEWTON COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL LIBRARY by DAIQ / D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects, Inc. CHARLES STREET JAIL (RESTORATION) by Ann Beha Architects PEDIATRICS PLUS THERAPY CENTER &
 DAYCARE CENTER by Architecture Involution, LLC. DANA-FARBER/BRIGHAM & WOMEN’S 
 CANCER CENTER at Milford Regional Medical Center by Steffian Bradley Architects LOEB VISITOR CENTER by Newport Collaborative OYSTER HARBORS CLUB, by CBT / Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. VIRGINIA AQUARIUM & MARINE SCIENCE CENTER
 Exhibit Gallery Renovations by Chermayeff and Poole, Inc. THE RESIDENCES AT GRANDE BAY by Cubellis Associates, Inc. HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL JEFFREY MODELL IMMUNOLOGY CENTER by MDS / Miller Dyer Spears, Inc SACRED HEART PARISH NEW CHURCH by The S/L/A/M CollaborativeNews Note 2April, 2007
 
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