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The most sustainable material of them all
Sean Parnaby of West Port says that the timber industry is gradually winning the war against misconceptions about what he claims is not only the oldest, but the best fenestration material
here’s a growing awareness that timber isn’t the expensive, maintenance-heavy material many people think it is – and that its poor reputation in some quarters has nothing to do with timber itself, but stems instead from the cheap and shoddy mass-produced wood windows of the mid-20th century. But one of the most stubborn timber myths concerns sustainability. Many people still incorrectly assume timber windows and doors are bad for the environment, but that’s not true. Timber, when it’s ethically sourced, is the greenest fenestration material of them all. Increasingly, you hear claims that PVCu is the most eco-friendly and thermally efficient fenestration option on the market – understandable given growing public interest in minimising their environmental impact, and ever-rising heating bills.
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But they’re false. A unit’s energy efficiency is determined by the glass, not the frame – and far from being the greenest option available; PVCu is actually the worst polluter among window materials. Making a PVCu window pumps 160 kg more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than making a timber one does. And recycled PVCu windows can contain lead, cadmium and mercury, all of which are released as toxic gases when exposed to extreme heat, making them highly dangerous in fires.
Many people associate timber with deforestation – people irresponsibly cutting down sections of forest, and never replacing the trees that are removed. But ethical timber is a different phenomenon entirely. Sustainable timber products come from well-managed forests, where new trees are planted to replace those that are harvested.
ADF AUGUST 2018
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
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