EXTERNAL ENVELOPE 45 A robust case for timber windows
Today’s timber windows are vastly improved on their predecessors, but a recent survey and round table found that specifiers’ misconceptions are still making them wary, says Tracy Pomfret of George Barnsdale
R
ishi Sunak’s U-turn on attending COP 27 came to late to avoid sending a message to other nations
that the UK’s short term financial pressures are more serious than the long term survival of the planet. There are echoes of this within the construction industry; a wide acknowledgement that we need to be building more sustainably, but when it comes to the bottom line, many of us are still not prepared to put our money where our collective mouths are. Timber windows are ‘carbon negative’ – there is no argument that timber windows and doors are the most sustainable option for the planet, and a recent survey we undertook shows architects agree, with 98% of respondents saying they preferred to choose sustainable materials. However, only 5% said they were specifying timber for windows on a weekly basis. Furthermore, one fifth of them said they were actually specifying less timber than they were five years ago.
Aluminium is the material of choice – 84% said they specified it most regularly even though it is not the most environmentally friendly option. Despite it being almost fully recyclable, the growth in demand for aluminium means that, in reality, only a third can be supplied by recycling with the majority still coming from source (Bauxite mining). Unlike timber (via FSC certification), there is currently no legal requirement in the UK for aluminium, used in construction, to have a chain of custody in place to demonstrate responsible sourcing. This is addressed to an extent by some of the building assessment schemes like BREEAM but dubious practices still go on in the mining industry, and there are no guarantees they aren’t part of the UK supply chain.
Researchgate.net has calculated that an aluminium window creates four times the amount that a timber one does. Analysing the survey results, it was
ADF DECEMBER 2022
important to understand why there is such a gap between good intentions and delivering an environmentally friendly build/renovation. To this end, a round table event was hosted in Manchester with architects and practice owners working across commercial and residential projects.
Round table results
One of the overriding sentiments is that clients want to be sustainable, but it has to be at an acceptable price point. Architects were unanimous in their wish to be sustainable, and were regularly suggesting timber options to clients. However, they were often met with objections; timber is perceived as being expensive and is one of the easiest things to save money on, with clients opting for “posh PVC” instead. Further evaluation of the discussions that took place demonstrated that price wasn’t the only concern people had. As an industry, timber window companies are still battling with the same misconceptions surrounding aesthetics. The project ‘had to suit timber windows,’ and timber wasn’t readily associated with contemporary projects. Some of the architects blamed fads and
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
A fifth of architects said they were actually specifying less timber than they were five years ago
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
