Durability ‘Most Important Green Building Product Attribute’

Durability is the most important characteristic associated with building products in general and green building products in particular, according to the findings of a blind survey of US architects commissioned by PPG Industries.

The survey encompassed 629 US architects representing a cross-section of job titles, experience, firm sizes and geographic locations. PPG has commissioned architect surveys at regular intervals since 2003.

For green building products, architects mentioned environmental product declarations and independent product certifications as the most important product attributes, following product durability, representing an upward trend from the 2008 and 2012 surveys.

Another key green building product attribute, life cycle assessments, declined slightly compared to the last two surveys.

For general building products, durability was followed in importance among surveyed architects by product warranties, product features and the responsiveness of product manufacturer representatives.

The survey also showed that PPG ranked fourth in unaided awareness among more than 70 building product manufacturers identified by participating architects, and that awareness of the PPG IdeaScapes brand — the architect-facing brand for PPG glass, coatings and paint — has more than tripled from 15 percent in 2008 to 51 percent in 2014.

Earlier this year the Green Building Initiative launched a rating tool for eco-friendly interior designers and architects, called the Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors.