Green Architecture
Nickel-containing stainless steel can be both spectacular and practical in architectural applications. If the correct stainless steel and finish are selected and properly maintained, it will remain attractive over the life of the building, and it is one of the most environmentally friendly metals that can be specified. Many of the characteristics that determine whether a metal is "green" are either directly or indirectly related to corrosion resistance. Stainless steel provides excellent corrosion resistance, high recycling rates, and high scrap values. It maximizes the life of other materials and does not require coatings.
Interest in "green" construction has grown significantly with emphasis on evaluation of entire buildings
as well as individual materials. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building
Rating System™ and product evaluation systems raise many questions that are directly or indirectly related to
metal choice. These include the recycled content, potential for product reuse, impact on energy and water
consumption, emissions, impact on indoor air quality, thermal comfort, durability, maintenance requirements,
and impact on indoor light.
Some of the common questions and answers about the environmental benefits of stainless steel are summarized
in the following two documents. Each provides photos of real world examples.
- "Stainless Steel: the Green Material" (775 kB PDF file)
- "Sustainable Stainless" (867 kB PDF file)
For more information on LEED go to http://www.usgbc.org/leed/leed_main.asp
Nickel-containing stainless steels have two main attributes that make them appropriate materials for
sustainable architectural projects:
1) Durability (corrosion-resistance and endurance) and
2) Recyclability (high value at end-of-life with no loss of
properties).
These two assets contribute to the preservation of our natural resources and to the favourable life cycle
costing results achieved when stainless steels are compared with other architectural materials.
For life cycle assessment data, click here.
For information on stainless steel reinforcing bar, click here.
Available on this web site are numerous resources that explain the contributions that stainless steel makes
to the greening of architecture. Please explore the site by using the navigational buttons in the upper
righthand corner of this page.
