Sustainable terms and acronyms seem to be multiplying by the day. In addition to LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design), there are many other certification programs like WELL, 3Star, BREEAM, DGNB, Dubai GBRS, Estidama and SKArating that evaluate sustainability in different project types and regions.
And if all that alphabet soup isn’t enough, within those certification programs, designers need to also recognize Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) when developing a new, sustainable facility. As architects, it is our job to understand these certifications and their impact on our clients’ buildings.
LEED v4 dives deep into HPDs and EPDs, a category only slightly touched on by previous versions of LEED. HPDs are designed to complement EPDs. Both are important when determining indoor air quality and the effects buildings have on the environment. As architects, especially in healthcare, we need to request HPDs from our manufacturers.
Manufacturers are often hesitant to disclose this information for proprietary reasons, which is why there are certain standards in place that allow only the disclosure of chemicals that impact health. HPDs clarify what information is shared and what is not. This transparency helps designers choose the right material and best products. EPDs, in a life cycle assessment, show us the environmental impact a certain product or material will have. Assessments show us a material’s effect from acquisition and manufacturing to end of life and recycling.