Siding with green

lClrylrsn HAS BEEN REDEFTNED as beautiful, durable and \Jsustainable. Materials that offer all three qualities provide the most value-especially when it comes to siding. Exteriors make both that all-important initial impression and figure heavily in environmental impact.

Wood meets all three style criteria. Independent research verifies wood's green credentials. A life cycle assessment performed by FPlnnovations-Forintek, Canada's leading forestry research laboratory, found western red cedar to be the "most sustainable building material." The study took a cradle-to-grave look at environmental impacts of various building materials, comparing residential siding applications such as WRC, brick, fiber cement, and vinyl. Complex analysis considered such factors as resource use, water use, energy use, transportation and waste created.

WRC fared best overall among siding choices. It was found to create lower greenhouse gas emissions and allow for recycling and energy recovery opportunities that cut methane gas emissions in landfills. Alternative building materials, often lauded for durability, create more environmental life cycle burden than wood, according to the study commissioned by the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association.

"As green building regulations become the standard in building, consumers who previously favored more 'maintenance-free' materials as their siding products of choice will need to consider alternatives such as western red cedar to help lessen their environmental footprint," said green consultant John Wagner.

Outdoor apparel retailer Columbia Sportswear places a premium on high design, function and sustainability when selecting materials for its stores. The Portland, Or.-based company selected WRC exterior siding for a new Seattle store and a remodeled flagship store because of the wood's aesthetic and environmental appeal.

WRC also contributed warmth, longevity and character as one of the more prominent sustainable materials of the Margarido House in Oakland, Ca.-the first home in the country to receive LEED-H certification and a GreenPoint rating from the state.

Cedar's performance and maintenance record is also strong, so the choice to finish a WRC project is up to the project owner. WRC can weather naturally or, with the application of a protective coating to ensure maximum performance, retain the natural beauty of the wood, or enhance those good looks by applying coatings in an array ofcolors.

A factory-applied primer and/or top coat keeps cedar's long-lasting good looks and ensures optimum performance. Some applicators offer long-term warranty programs. Factory priming is performed in an industrial setting where a machine applies a coating to all six sides of each board. Coated boards are dried prior to shipment to the job site.

Pre-primed siding and trim delivered to a job site should be kept dry and clean prior to installation. All field cuts should be resealed with a primer prior to the boards being installed. Top coating should be completed as quickly as possible, as most primers are not intended to be exposed to natural weathering for more than 90 days.

Factory finishing is similar to the above process; however, it allows for the additional application of one or two topcoats of acrylic latex paint, solid stains, or natural stains in job lot quantities and in the colors selected by the builder or homeowner.

A beautiful example of a well-finished home-Hillside House in Mill Valley, Ca.-marries high design and high sustainability in an elegant natural wood exterior. Wrapped in the reddish hues of WRC siding, the house is the first LEED-for-Homes Platinum custom home in Marin County and one of only a handful in Northern California.

"An important part of minimizing the impact of a project involves selecting products, like western red cedar, that minimize the carbon footprint from manufacture to end use," said Mike McDonald, owner of McDonald Construction & Development, the green builder that constructed the home.

Recent history suggests consumers will continue to push for the best design and most sustainable materials, while architects work to balance those needs in what some are calling "eco chic." Durability will always be important to builders. Natural wood siding offers the whole package.