Course Information: ARCH 4621
Department of Architecture, Cornell University

ARCH 4621 Sustainable Architecture: the Science and Politics of Green Building

Spring 2021

Jonathan Ochshorn

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Assignment for week 12

Read the following:

CCA White Paper: Mass Timber. Also available online
As Mass Timber Takes Off, How Green Is This New Building Material? Also available online
Open letter Re: Cross-laminated timber and environmental sustainability. Also available online
A framework for assessing the environmental benefits of mass timber construction. Also available online
LEED reference guide v.4, credits and prerequisites related to Materials and resources.

Optional: My critique of the LEED guidelines for Materials and resources.

For all students:

Read all selections.
Email the writing assignment (selected students only) or paragraph response (all other students) to me no later than 11:00 am on the day of class. Writing assignments can be sent as attachments (PDF or word.doc). Paragraph responses can be embedded directly into the body of the email.

Writing assignment (only for selected students)

Summarize the conflicting arguments about the sustainability of mass timber construction. What economic interests are at stake? Could the LEED section on Materials and Resources resolve these controversies?
Be prepared to read (or otherwise present) a condensed version of your paper in class (7–10 minutes).
Paper should be 1000–1300 words, or approximately 3–4 typed pages, 1.5 line spacing.

For all students except those selected for the writing assignment.

Write a short (1-paragraph) response to a sentence extracted from one of the readings that you found interesting or provocative. Provide a footnote citation for the quotation you have chosen using the "notes and bibliography system."¹

¹ You can find information on citations in the Chicago Manual of Style. (You can leave out page numbers.)