Saturday, 01 June 2002
Hayward Lumber Achieves Gold Level LEED Certification
Hayward Lumber, the leading manufacturer of FSC-certified roof trusses in California’s central coast, recently built a 55,000 square foot LEED™ certified truss plant in Santa Maria, CA, 75 miles north of Santa Barbara.
The LEED Green Building Rating System™, a program of the US Green Building Council, evaluates construction performance based on accepted energy and environmental principles, including the use of FSC-certified wood. Hayward, which was certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) in 1998, has long recognized the need to integrate environmental considerations into their business plan to ensure long term sustainability of the company.
One hundred percent of the framing lumber used in the new truss plant is FSC-certified Douglas fir. The roof is covered with 20,000 square feet of solar panels, which produce all of the energy used in the building and actually contribute energy back into the California power grid. The builders mixed ash reclaimed from coal-burning plants with the concrete used in the building and parking areas to reduce the total amount of concrete used. Two 30,000 gallon cisterns on the property capture rainwater for the plant, and greatly reduce its dependence on California’s limited water supply.
Waterless urinals also save the company an estimated 500,000 gallons of water annually. Post-consumer recycled glass, structural steel, and ceramic tiles are utilized wherever possible in the facility. Natural sunlight, local breezes, and shade were considered in site location. Hayward forecasts payouts from water and electrical power savings to materialize in seven years. Most of these seemingly “extra" measures have actually saved the money. For instance, due to their minimized dependence on the public water supply, they were able to install smaller, less costly valving, saving them $76,000 which paid for the cisterns.
Hayward pursued FSC-certification in order to solidify the company’s position as a sustainable building materials dealer. They employ over four hundred people at six lumberyards, and do approximately $125 million of business a year. Maintaining an almost 60% market share in their trading segment, they are leaders of certification in their area.
The company also recently made a commitment to sell redwood only from FSC-certified forests in northern California. For more information on this FSC-certified company, visit www.haywardlumber.com. For more information on LEED™ certification, visit www.usgbc.org.