LCA results & interpretation Cascadia Universal Series™ Window Wall
Scope and summary
- Cradle to gate
- Cradle to gate with options
- Cradle to grave
Application
The Cascadia Universal Series™ Window Wall façade system offers a patented, high-performance alternative to traditional aluminum window wall systems, allowing developers and architects to dramatically improve the overall thermal performance of buildings, without sacrificing glazing area. Designed and manufactured in North America, the Universal Series™ Window Wall façade system’s spandrel is an opaque section of a the glazing assembly, and is available in a variety of materials. The spandrel portion of the Window Wall system includes framing, spandrel panel, and necessary hardware for installation and secure attachment. The primary function of Window Wall fenestration systems is to create a façade between the building's interior and exterior, limiting thermal transfer through the building envelope.
Declared unit
The declared unit is one 2,000mm × 2,000mm (79in × 79in) window wall normalized to one square meter (1 m2) of fenestration assemblies (including frame and glass). Glazing beads and stops, sealants, gaskets, and other parts that retain or support the glazing are considered part of the framing assembly, not the glazing assembly. The declared product meets the relevant performance standards in ANSI/NFRC 100 per the identified sub-type.
Mass per declared unit:
| Fenestration sub-type | Whole unit, kg | Frame, kg | Glazing, kg |
| Window Wall Spandrel Glass | 36 | 22.7 | 13.3 |
Manufacturing data
Reporting period: May 2022 – April 2023
Location: British Columbia, Canada
What’s causing the greatest impacts
All life cycle stages
Activities during the acquisition and preprocessing of raw materials are responsible for much of the impacts in each impact category. Due to on-site activities such as fabricating the frame and disposing of manufacturing waste, the manufacturing stage is the second highest contributor to global warming and fossil fuel depletion. For all other impact categories, the second highest contributor to the results stems from upstream transportation.
Raw materials acquisition
Raw materials acquisition (A1) dominated the results for all impact categories. This module includes the raw materials acquired and preprocessed by the suppliers, including packaging. This stage makes up 80-90% of the total impacts for all impact categories. The glazing and frame are the two contributors calculated separately in the raw material acquisition stage. The fiberglass window frame generated 66.9% of total GWP results, whereas the glazing generated 33.1% of total GWP results. The glazing unit contains two 6mm glass panes, which are manufactured by an upstream supplier and sourced in North America. The frame unit contains fiberglass and aluminum lineals, insulation, hardware, and packaging. During the production of these fiberglass lineals, glass fibers and catalyzed polyester resin are combined in a pultrusion process. The fiberglass and aluminum lineals make up the majority of the weight of the frame unit, and they dominate the environmental impacts over the other frame components.
Transportation
Transportation (A2) of raw materials has the second highest contribution to many impact categories at around 5-10%, except for a contribution of 20% to ecotoxicity. This module includes the raw material transportation from suppliers to the Cascadia manufacturing facility. Most of the ingredients sourced in North America are transported by semi-truck, whereas materials sourced from overseas use a mix of road transportation by semi-truck and sea transportation by ship.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing (A3) of raw materials accounts for a notable contribution to Global Warming Potentials (GWP) at around 8% and Fossil Fuel Depletion at around 16%, with relatively low contributions to the remaining impact categories. This module includes fabrication and the disposal of manufacturing waste. The fabrication process includes cutting the fiberglass, drilling, packaging, and cleaning. Fiberglass production waste, incoming raw material packaging waste, and other non-hazardous wastes are transported to a landfill, and recyclable packaging wastes are transported to a recycling facility or reused within the plant.
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analyses were performed to check the robustness of the results where the highest potential environmental impacts are occurring. As the bulk of impacts are attributed to raw materials acquisition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the sensitivity of the different available glazing configurations.
Global warming potential was evaluated for sensitivity since Cascadia is interested in the potential CO2-equivalent emissions of its products. The fixed window was evaluated as a worst case scenario, since it has the highest percentage of glazing and therefore provides the most conservative estimate of change. Choosing a triple-glazed product configuration rather than the double-glazed option resulted in a 5% increase in total life cycle impacts.
How we're making it greener
Fiberglass is an ideal structural material for window and door frames, which is why Cascadia has used a proprietary, high glass-fiber-to-resin formula for more than a decade. Beyond its high strength and thermal efficiency, Cascadia's pultruded, thermoset fiberglass frames contain roughly 58% recycled content, low VOC's, and represent less embodied energy compared to vinyl or aluminum.
Not susceptible to decay or corrosion, fiberglass also expands and contracts with temperature change at roughly the same rate as the adjacent IGU. This extends the longevity of window seals and gaskets, reducing maintenance costs. Combined with a modeled lifespan of up to 80 years, fiberglass represents the future of high-performance windows and doors.
LCA results
| Life cycle stage | A1 Raw material Supply | A2 Upstream transport | A3 Manufacturing |
|
Information modules:
|
(X) A1 Raw material supply | (X) A2 Transport | (X) A3 Manufacturing |
 |
 |
 |
SM Single Score
| Impacts per declared unit | 6.92E+00 mPts | 3.68E-01 mPts | 3.06E-01 mPts |
| Materials or processes contributing >20% to total impacts in each life cycle stage | Upstream manufacturing of the fiberglass lineals and glass panes. | Transportation of raw materials to the Cascadia facility. | Product fabrication including cutting, drilling, packaging, and cleaning. |
TRACI v2.1 results per declared unit of Universal Series™ Window Wall Spandrel Glass (total)
| Life cycle stage | A1 Raw material supply | A2 Transport | A3 Manufacturing |
Ecological damage
Human health damage
Additional environmental information
| Impact category | Unit | |||
| Fossil fuel depletion | MJ surplus Mega Joule, lower heating value Fossil fuel depletion is the surplus energy to extract minerals and fossil fuels. |
1.02E+02 | 1.20E+01 | 2.18E+01 |
| Ecotoxicity | CTUe Comparative Toxic Units of Ecotoxicity Ecotoxicity causes negative impacts to ecological receptors and, indirectly, to human receptors through the impacts to the ecosystem. |
6.30E+01 | 1.60E+01 | 2.09E-01 |
TRACI v2.1 results per declared unit of Universal Series™ Window Wall Spandre Glass (frame only)
| Life cycle stage | A1 Raw material supply | A2 Transport | A3 Manufacturing |
Ecological damage
Human health damage
Additional environmental information
| Impact category | Unit | |||
| Fossil fuel depletion | MJ surplus Mega Joule, lower heating value Fossil fuel depletion is the surplus energy to extract minerals and fossil fuels. |
5.71E+01 | 9.84E+00 | 1.38E+01 |
| Ecotoxicity | CTUe Comparative Toxic Units of Ecotoxicity Ecotoxicity causes negative impacts to ecological receptors and, indirectly, to human receptors through the impacts to the ecosystem. |
4.94E+01 | 1.32E+01 | 1.32E-01 |
TRACI v2.1 results per declared unit of Universal Series™ Window Wall Spandrel Glass (glazing only)
| Life cycle stage | A1 Raw material supply | A2 Transport | A3 Manufacturing |
Ecological damage
Human health damage
Additional environmental information
| Impact category | Unit | |||
| Fossil fuel depletion | MJ surplus Mega Joule, lower heating value Fossil fuel depletion is the surplus energy to extract minerals and fossil fuels. |
4.45E+01 | 2.12E+00 | 8.04E+00 |
| Ecotoxicity | CTUe Comparative Toxic Units of Ecotoxicity Ecotoxicity causes negative impacts to ecological receptors and, indirectly, to human receptors through the impacts to the ecosystem. |
1.36E+01 | 2.86E+00 | 7.71E-02 |
References
LCA Background Report
Cascadia Universal Series™ Fixed & Operable Windows and Doors, and Universal Series™ Windows Wall LCA Background Report, Cascadia 2024; SimaPro Analyst 9.5; ecoinvent v3.10 and US-EI 2.2 databases; TRACI 2.1.
ISO 14025, “Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works -- Core rules for environmental product declarations of construction products and services”
ISO 21930:2017, "Sustainability in Building Construction — Environmental Declaration of Building Products" serves as the core PCR.
NSF PCR for Fenestration Assemblies, version 2
December, 2023. PCR review conducted by Dr. Thomas P. Gloria, Ph.D (Industrial Ecology Consultants) [email protected]; Jack Geibig (Ecoform) [email protected]; Bill Stough (Bill Stough, LLC) [email protected].
Program operator: Sustainable Minds, SM Transparency Report™ / EPD Framework Governance and Program Rules, version 3.2
Download PDF SM Transparency Report / EPD
SM Transparency Reports (TR) are ISO 14025 Type III environmental declarations (EPD) that enable purchasers and users to compare the potential environmental performance of products on a life cycle basis. They are designed to present information transparently to make the limitations of comparability more understandable. Environmental declarations of products that conform to the same PCR and include the same life cycle stages, but are made by different manufacturers, may not sufficiently align to support direct comparisons. They therefore cannot be used as comparative assertions unless the conditions as defined in ISO 14025 Section 6.7.2. ‘Requirements for Comparability’ are satisfied. In order to support comparative assertions, this EPD meets all comparability requirements stated in ISO 14025:2006. However, differences in certain assumptions, data quality, and variability between LCA data sets may still exist. As such, caution should be exercised when evaluating EPDs from different manufacturers or programs, as the EPD results may not be entirely comparable. Any EPD comparison must be carried out at the construction works level per ISO 21930:2017 guidelines, use the same sub-category PCR where applicable, include all relevant information modules, be limited to EPDs applying a functional unit, and be based on equivalent scenarios with respect to the context of construction works. The results of this EPD reflect an average performance by the product, and its actual impacts may vary on a case-to-case basis. Some LCA impact categories and inventory items are still under development and can have high levels of uncertainty. To promote uniform guidance on the data collection, calculation, and reporting of results, the ACLCA methodology (ACLCA 2019) was used.
SM Transparency Report (EPD) 