www.greenbuildermag.com 07.2012
THIS IMAGE IS COURTESY OF MUNSTER JOINERY
ISOLATED SUCCESS 46
Rather than await the whims of energy providers, Munster Joinery decided to cre- ate its own, with two huge German wind turbines. Each state-of-the-art unit produc- es about 2 megawatts at peak performance, running almost silently. The company (
www.munsterjoinery.ie),
located in the remote countryside near the tourist-friendly town of Killarney, makes both PVC and wood windows and doors. I spent the night out with Alan Ring,
whose family owns the plant and the busi- ness. An aff able fellow in his early 40s, he has a reputation as a local playboy. Like many of the Irish I’ve met on my site tours, he embodies both the charm and the fatal fl aw of the Irish (and I say that as the son of an Irish citizen). We’re impulsive and
creative, but sometimes we like to skip the details and hope that fate carries us forward. In Munster Joinery’s case, the company
has made huge strides containing their own energy costs. Also, they understand performance. For example, they just re- leased a new Passive House suitable win- dow. But they seem surprised when asked to go deeper. Have they begun to recycle PVC or experiment with other types of plastic composite frames? Is the wood used in doors and windows sustainably harvested? These conversations have likely not been raised by buyers or distributors. If they hope to compete on a global basis, they’ll need include material sourcing and life-cycle analysis in their planning.
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