Reducing the carbon footprint of a project through sustainable design

In today's society it is important for organizations to not only consider the economic bottom line - but also the environmental and social bottom lines of their activities. This is called a "triple bottom line" approach and is key to
considering the sustainable design credentials of your infrastructure project.

Sustainable design is where parties in the contract chain ensure that all aspects of design, material selection and processes are considered to be consistent with the desired sustainable design credentials of a project.

Protective coatings for structural steel are complex and advanced chemical formulations - their role can be to provide anti-corrosive protection, an aesthetically pleasing finish, passive fire protection or high heat resistance for example. Unlike decorative coatings which are applied on site, protective coatings are routinely applied at specialised paint application shops. Whilst legislation on VOC (solvent) emissions and applicator health protection will affect these application shops, it is also important to consider other properties of the coatings that are being utilised and how these can contribute to the sustainable design credentials of an infrastructure project.

The "protective coatings element" of these credentials will be affected by:

• the project design life
• the VOC (solvent) emissions of products
• the geography of the project
• the credentials of the coating supplier

PROJECT DESIGN LIFE
One of the most significant parameters that affects the choice of a protective coating system is the desired project design life. Protective coatings systems also have design lives - if this is considerably lower than the design life of the structure then it is inevitable that at some point the coatings will need to be replaced – sometimes on more than one occasion.

Such maintenance may constitute major refurbishment involving the re-blasting and reapplication of coatings, which is not always ideal for buildings, bridges or sports stadia. If a project structure has a design life of 15 years, yet the specified coatings are designed to last significantly less than 15 years, then maintenance will be required.Therefore more non-renewable materials and more energy will be consumed reinstating the corrosion protection.

Correctly and realistically specifying long lasting systems (both in terms of corrosion and colour/gloss durability) at the design phase helps to limit the environmental impact of corrosion protection over the lifetime of an asset. Interfine® acrylic polysiloxane technology, when used as part of a high performance system, has routinely provided long lasting anti-corrosive durability coupled with colour and gloss retention that can last up to four times longer than traditional polyurethane systems.

Increasing the design life of the protective coating system in terms of colour and gloss is especially important for projects with exposed steelwork.

Acrylic polysiloxane technology has been used around the world to provide long term colour and gloss to a number of high profile projects including the following:

• Broadway Station, Canada
• Beijing Olympic Swimming Centre, China
• Hotel Arts, Spain
• Changi Airport, Singapore
• The BA London Eye, UK
• Ganghui Plaza, China
• Hammerfest LNG Facility, Norway
• The Melbourne Gateway, Australia
• Pemex PB-KU-S platform,Mexico

Key Point: Specify polysiloxane coating systems that meet the requirements of independent testing, that display 95% gloss retention after 3000 hours of QUV-A, ISO 11507:1997(E) and ASTM G53. QUVA is an accelerated test where a coating is exposed to ultraviolet light to encourage gloss and colour degradation.

VOC EMISSIONS
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) is the solvent component of a coating.These materials are currently the main focus of environmental concern as, in combination with nitrous oxide and sunlight, they can contribute to high levels of low level ozone and 'smog’.

On large infrastructure projects the protective coatings used can be responsible for over 60,000 litres of solvent emitted directly into the atmosphere. These VOCs can have a detrimental effect both on the local and regional environment. With responsible coating specifications it is possible to reduce VOC emissions by over 60%.

Key Point: To advance the sustainable design credentials of a project over and above any legal requirements, a maximum VOC limit should be specified per unit area for the total system.

GEOGRAPHY
Large infrastructure projects often source precoated structural steel from outside the country of construction.Where this occurs there is a probability that an overseas affiliate of the specified coating supplier may manufacture and supply the coatings to be used on the project. Business practices and legislative requirements may vary in the supplying country with the
potential for non-environmentally sensitive materials to be applied to the steel.

To eliminate this potential issue it is important that the protective coatings manufacturer adheres to maintaining the same formulations for the products to ensure that the project is not unintentionally saddled with an environmental issue.

In awarding painting contracts overseas, it is also important that the specifier clearly communicates the exact coating requirements, including any environmental restrictions, to the painting contractor. Key point:Where will the protective coatings be manufactured? Will they be manufactured by the company, by an affiliate or by a third party?

COATING SUPPLIER CREDENTIALS
Manufacturers of protective coatings should take a responsible and proactive approach when developing and re-engineering existing products, to ensure their health and environmental impact, both now and in the future, are minimised throughout their life cycle – a cradle to grave approach. Effective product stewardship and involvement in industry-wide initiatives are becoming more important in today’s political environment, with regulatory affairs personnel continually working with industry bodies and governmental institutions to recognise materials of concern. As legislation in most parts of the world already restricts the use of certain raw materials, product stewardship and careful consultation initiatives help to manage the range of protective coatings available and deliver beyond compliance solutions to the construction industry.

Coatings are identified for their immediate health and environmental impact and also on their potential impact at the end of their service life - e.g. what impact will the coating have if the building is subsequently demolished and the steel recycled? Key point: Does your supplier subscribe to industry-wide initiatives?

SUMMARY
Careful and thoughtful selection of coating systems provides a means for you to improve the overall sustainable design credentials of your projects.

International Protective Coatings offers:

• Long lasting, cost effective systems (according to ISO 12944).
• A rigorous product stewardship "cradle to grave" approach for all of our products.
• Low (VOC) solvent coating systems.
• A consistent environmentally responsible approach across our worldwide core range products, wherever the location of supply.