{"id":204889,"date":"2023-06-02T20:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-03T00:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/?p=204889"},"modified":"2023-06-01T11:46:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T15:46:45","slug":"the-benefits-of-using-architectural-zinc-in-roofing-and-wall-claddings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/the-benefits-of-using-architectural-zinc-in-roofing-and-wall-claddings\/","title":{"rendered":"The benefits of using architectural zinc in roofing and wall claddings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo courtesy Mississippi Aquarium and RHEINZINK. <\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Charles \u201cChip\u201d McGowan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evaluating materials and products to meet projects\u2019 performance requirements and code compliance is an ongoing task for specification professionals. Supporting modern construction goals, sustainable attributes, and outcomes are now part of this evaluation and specification process. Today, owners and designers are increasingly asking specifiers to examine the carbon footprint for each choice and their collective effect.<\/p>\n

For roofing and wall cladding products, architectural zinc\u2019s inherent metallic properties can help reduce the embodied carbon footprint for residential and commercial buildings, and improve their energy-efficient, climate-resilient, long-lasting performance.<\/p>\n

Carbon concerns, climate change, and construction<\/strong><\/p>\n

When global, national, and local governments, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) discuss reducing their carbon footprint, the inference is to reduce the effects of climate change due to the generation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from various sources, including commercial and residential construction.<\/p>\n

To fathom the importance of lowering construction\u2019s carbon footprint one must grasp the extant of carbon concerns and climate change.<\/p>\n

Carbon emissions, specifically emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>), are identified as GHGs. In conversations, the terms carbon emissions and GHG emissions are often interchangeable. In application, GHG emissions are typically measured in terms of \u201ccarbon equivalent\u201d (CO2eq) and global warming potential (GWP). A 100-year GWP is standard, which represents the energy absorbed by a CO2eq GHG over 100 years.<\/p>\n

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Architectural zinc was specified to meet high performance requirements and harsh conditions for Oregon State University\u2019s Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC). <\/span>Photo by Josh Partee Architectural Photographer\/courtesy RHEINZINK. <\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CO2eq emissions absorb energy, trapping it in the atmosphere and reflecting it back as heat. The increased GHG levels and higher temperature cannot be sustained by the Earth\u2019s natural environmental processes and are among the causes affecting the climate. These effects are demonstrated in more frequent, extreme temperature fluctuations and weather events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, severe storms, wildfires, droughts, and floods. Shifting patterns also result in record heat waves in formerly cold climates, and snow and hail in formerly warm climate zones. These changes have caused costly damage to critical infrastructure; disrupted food, water, and economic supply chains, and put people\u2019s health, safety, security, and lives at risk.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), total GHG emissions in 2021 accounted for 6,340 million tonnes (6,989 million tons), which is nearly 14 quadrillion pounds of CO2eq. The largest sources of GHGs emissions in the U.S. come from:<\/p>\n