Cost Efficiency and Budgeting with Extruded Aluminum Trim

Thoughtful selection and investment in materials can yield positive results when specifying for multifamily housing

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Targeting Indoor Environmental Quality

Humans have become indoor creatures, spending 90 percent or more of their time inside; hence, it is critical that indoor environments foster health, productivity, and well-being. Increasingly, project owners are paying attention to how design and material choices affect indoor environmental quality. The emphasis on biophilic design—building features and materials that foster the connection between people and the natural environment—also reflects this trend.

Extruded aluminum trim can be a part of healthful, biophilic design. Derived from an abundant earth mineral, it is available in an array of organic colors, it does not emit harmful VOCs, and it is easy to clean and maintain.

The COVID-19 pandemic only increased awareness around how indoor environments affect health, in particular, the importance of good ventilation and hygienic, easy-to-clean finishes and surfaces. While more research needs to be done, there is some evidence that aluminum appears to inhibit the longevity of bacteria and viruses. Because aluminum is inherently porous, the microscopic pockets on its surface can trap viruses, potentially preventing them from transferring to other objects, including people's skin. Newer powder coatings and anodized finishes may provide even more protection against pathogens, as they may include additives that make the trim’s surface inhospitable to bacteria and viruses.

Green Building Programs and Standards

There are several green building standards and programs in use today, and they have become increasingly aligned with each other. The US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency jointly manage the ENERGY STAR program, which focuses on energy performance, while the US EPA’s Indoor AirPLUS program promotes healthier indoor environments. The more ambitious Zero Energy Ready Homes program, which now has a multifamily pathway, builds upon the foundation of other federal programs and requires that projects meet both ENERGY STAR and Indoor AirPLUS standards as a baseline.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world's most widely used green building rating system. LEED is a points-based rating system; projects can earn credits across eight categories: carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings; with each iteration, it has become more holistic and comprehensive. The newest iteration of the standard, LEED v5, addresses “critical imperatives” such as equity, health, ecosystems, and resilience.

The WELL Building Standard is “a vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful and intentional spaces that enhance human health and well-being.” WELL v2 includes evidence-based design strategies and operational protocols aimed at promoting human health. Drawing on expertise from a diverse community of users, practitioners, public health professionals and building scientists, the standard utilizes a points-based rating system organized around 10 “Concepts”: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community. The Living Building Challenge is a rigorous green building standard hosted by the International living Future Institute. It is comprised of 20 Imperatives organized under seven Petals: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Beauty, and Equity. The Challenge does not utilize a point system; rather, project teams may choose how to best achieve the requirements of each Imperative for their particular projects.

Seven Myths About Aluminum

Even though it is a widely used, versatile material with many applications in construction, automotive, and other industries, several misconceptions about aluminum and aluminum alloys persist. Here are seven common myths about this ubiquitous material.

Myth #1: Aluminum is unhealthy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), aluminum does not pose a health hazard, although exposure to abnormally high amounts of aluminum dust can affect the lungs and respiratory system. When used in interiors, extruded aluminum trim products can help support indoor environmental quality. The products do not emit toxic chemicals or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), even when exposed to extremely high temperatures.

Myth #2: Aluminum is rare.
Although aluminum doesn’t exist by itself in nature, it is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It is typically extracted from bauxite, the third most plentiful ore on Earth. Unlike other earth metals, known bauxite deposits are sufficient to support the current production rate of aluminum for another 300 years. The bauxite mining industry is environmentally responsible, using open-cast methods and restoring and revegetating mine sites. Globally, the area rehabilitated each year equals the area being mined.

Myth #3: Aluminum rusts.
In fact, aluminum cannot rust, as it does not contain iron; however, it can corrode. Corrosion occurs when ions oxidize; typically, this happens when the substrate is exposed to substances with high or low pH, or to seawater. The natural oxide film that forms on the surface of aluminum can protect it from further corrosion.

Myth #4: Aluminum is weak and brittle.
Aluminum’s strength-to-weight ratio is extremely high; it weighs 65 percent less than steel but its tensile strength is as high as 90,000 psi. In fact, it is because aluminum alloys are so light and strong that they are so widely used in construction. The material is well suited to the extrusion process, making possible the wide variety of forms and profiles that we see today.

Myth #5: Aluminum doesn’t last.
Aluminum is extremely durable, thanks to the material’s inherent qualities make it resistant to rot and corrosion; it is also noncombustible. As a testament to its durability, an estimated 85 percent of all aluminum shipped to the construction sector is still in productive use today.

Myth #6: Aluminum is not environmentally responsible.
Aluminum has been criticized for its high manufacturing carbon footprint. While it is true that producing new aluminum is an energy-intensive process, most aluminum in use today contains part to mostly recycled content. In fact, aluminum is one of the most recycled materials in the world, and recycling aluminum uses just 8 percent of the energy required to manufacture products from raw, new aluminum. Aluminum trim products typically contain between 75 and 100 percent post-industrial and post-consumer scrap, and the products themselves are 100 percent recyclable.

Myth #7: Aluminum is expensive.
While it may be true that the upfront cost of extruded aluminum trim products is higher than some alternatives, particularly PVC, when you compare whole life cycle costs, extruded aluminum is a much greater value, as it requires less maintenance and will last far longer.

LEED Credits

Extruded aluminum trim, whether used on the interior, exterior, or both, can contribute to LEED credits. LEED v4 takes a whole life cycle approach to credits, and requirements cover the performance of materials as a whole rather than assessing the performance of individual products or brands. As a consequence, specific products or materials like extruded aluminum trim can only contribute toward earning LEED certification points; they cannot earn points individually themselves.

Here are the specific credits to which extruded aluminum trim products can likely contribute:

Materials and Resources - Building product disclosure and optimization - environmental product declarations (up to 2 points)
The intent of this credit is “to encourage the use of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life cycle impacts”; and to “reward project teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified improved environmental life cycle impacts.”

Option 1. environmental product declaration (EPD) (1 point)
Use at least 20 different permanently installed products sourced from at least five different manufacturers that meet one of the disclosure criteria below.

Product-specific declaration.

Products with a publicly available, critically reviewed life cycle assessment conforming to ISO 14044 that have at least a cradle to gate scope are valued as one quarter (1/4) of a product for the purposes of credit achievement calculation.

Environmental product declarations which conform to ISO 14025 and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 and have at least a cradle to gate scope.

Industry-wide (generic) EPD Products with third-party certification (Type III), including external verification, in which the manufacturer is explicitly recognized as a participant by the program operator are valued as one half (1/2) of a product for purposes of credit achievement calculation.
Product-specific Type III EPD Products with third-party certification (Type III), including external verification in which the manufacturer is explicitly recognized as the participant by the program operator are valued as one whole product for purposes of credit achievement calculation.

USGBC approved program – Products that comply with other USGBC approved environmental product declaration frameworks.